Don't make tour groups feel like a race_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Don't make tour groups feel like a race

I couldn't help thinking that a green flag is also waved at the start of Grand Prix races, as Kay took off at a sprint. We lurched off the bus in stages, trying to keep one eye on the rapidly disappearing flag, the other on the rest of the group.

The walkways of Zhouzhuang are small and narrow, and packed to the rafters with tourists. They wind around and over a series of canals, along which travel traditional wooden punts, each propelled by a single oarsman or oarswoman.

The punts glided along at a steady pace, but it was one we couldn't match. The distance between the green flag and the last member of our group had grown to a few hundred meters, as age and the effort of pushing against a sheer weight of numbers took its toll.

In desperation, I managed a spurt of speed, and elbowed my way through the throng to where the flag was now waving. Catching Kay by the shoulder, I got her to stop, and gently explained to her that our group wasn't as young and spry she was, and that we needed time to make our way through the village, and look at things. She blinked, and agreed that was the case.

I turned back to see how Ellen was getting on, only to find that the flag had once again moved on!

Chinese tour groups must be accustomed to moving at a great pace, and remaining solely focused on their guide's flag. But most foreigners aren't - we're like herding cats, it just can't be done in an easy fashion. We like to stop and look at things, and to take our time.