[jeffh]

in beijing we just asked the bell-hop to set it up for us haha, and that worked out very well, everyone in the tourism industry has a "cousin" that can get whatever you want really. im sure there is kickbacks for these guys setting you up, the prices from the hotel were outrageous but the staff wasnt shy about getting you set up with another company

then when we hit harbin my older brother and his wife took us around to the cool spots, like the tiger park (fucking awesome, has to be seen to be believed) and some crazy monk mountain with incredible views in a nearby "village" (still had over a million people)

for guilin my brothers wife's "cousin" runs a travel agency in Harbin, so he gave her a number for a tour group to take care of us

and now that we are in xi'an my brothers wife just went on to the chinese ebay and found us a company.
getting the english guide is totally worth it, as there isnt alot of english in the museums etc, so you dont take away alot of the info unless theres someone there to tell you all the stories

when i get home ill post pictures and list out where we went etc, internet is way to gay here to bother