Miki - Tour Guide, Concierge, Transport Agent, Crooner, Friend and Family - all rolled into one!

We booked Miki for our trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou in advance. Over email, she and her team were super-responsive and very helpful with tips, such as installing WeChat & VPNs, and suggesting what to do and what to leave.Our pick up from the airport went smoothly. But our first day of sightseeing began on a cloudy, rainy and cold note. We were reconciled to a somewhat muted experience of Shanghai. Instead, we found a bright smiling Miki in the lobby, determined to make us have a great time!Her infectious charm and love for the city imbued us with energy. Despite a steady drizzle, she got us out of the bus, under our umbrellas and wove engaging stories around the monuments and buildings on the Bund, the various quarters and their histories, and even managed to show us a glimpse of the poor neighborhoods of Shanghai that are vanishing with redevelopment. Before we left Shanghai, we had a day without a guide, but Miki insisted on helping us plan it and even orchestrated our pick up and drops through her Didi app!On our days out to Suzhou and Hangzhou, her solicitousness towards my father and his comfort were touching. She always kept an eye out for how we were faring as a group and was quick to change plans and tailor the day to our needs. Once, the driver of our vehicle was a bit unresponsive. By the next halt, she had already managed a change of vehicle over the phone!As it came closer to the time we'd say goodbye, she regaled us with evocative Chinese songs (rendered beautifully) native to the area we were visiting. Having seen our love for the local food we ate, she had bought appropriate presents for us! We felt a lump in our throats as we bid adieu.Months later, on Wechat, we got talking again, as if we were family, and she assisted with our plans for visiting another part of China. It felt as if we were talking to family.