They mingled with natives and toured ancient landmarks.

They also did a ton of shopping.

There are mixed reviews of the North Idaho chambers of commerce trip to China. But most agreed that overall, it was a worthwhile introduction to the communist country.

"I am just extremely pleased," said Hayden resident Nancy Vogel. "Things have gone off like clockwork. No holdups. It was just really wonderful."

Before traveling back home on Wednesday, many tour members agreed that the tour's packed schedule, covering the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, felt well organized and safe.

There were also chances to briefly mingle with Chinese citizens. Many like Vogel were surprised by the Chinese locals who smiled and waved to the foreigners and posed for photos.

"The Chinese people have been so friendly toward us," Vogel said. "They could have been the exact opposite and been standoffish."

She learned a great deal from the groups' Chinese tour guides, she added, who shared their own thoughts on Chinese politics and everyday life, like paying $90 for a family meal in a Chinese Pizza Hut.

"I appreciated their candidness," she said.

Jerome Parmentier of Coeur d'Alene said he was astonished by the modernization in China's urban centers, from the clusters of hundreds of high-rises under construction to skyscrapers with giant videos playing on the sides.

"I don't know if all of China is like that," he said. "But they sure go all out for that, no question."

The highlights of the trip were the landmarks toured, said Toby Curtis, particularly the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

The visits tended to be rushed, though, she added, with as little as 20 minutes to explore some spots.

"With huge groups like this I'm sure we had to do that," she said. "It was a nice taste."

There were still some disappointments on the trip.

Toby's husband, Roland Curtis, remarked that much of the tour was built around shopping, with lengthy time for that at the jade factory, pearl factory, cloisonne factory, silk factory, silk embroidery store and porcelain museum.

"The price of bringing us over is so cheap because that (shopping) is the reason they're bringing us over," Roland said.

Steven Hill of Coeur d'Alene said the same, and added, "You only get to see what they want you to see."

Hill added that he regrets how his group didn't attend the World Expo, due to record crowds. If that trip had been planned on a weekday instead of a weekend, they might have still made it, he said.

"I could have done without a whole bunch of driving and a whole bunch of shopping. I would rather have spent one or two days at the expo," he said.

Others like Cheryl Marcheso said the tour days were a little long, with 12 hours or longer of sight seeing and shopping leaving folks depleted.

"It was always push, push, push. There was no time to relax," she said.

Sue Harrison also pointed out that some side trips that were promised did not happen, like the Beijing opera and a river trip down Shanghai's waterfront skyscrapers on the Huangpu River.

"But there were far more highlights," she said. "The things that we missed, if we ever come back, we'll just plan it."

Lynn Hill, Steven's wife, said it was a relief not to plan hotels and transportation through the jam-packed streets of the metropolitan cities.

"For a first trip to China, this is the way to go," she said.