AW Artisan Wholesale Giftware

Greetings from Bali, Indonesia This week has been strangely peaceful in Bali, partly because of a drop in flights from the Middle East, partly because it's almost Eid (they call it Eid al-fitr here) so lots of people left Bali to go back to hometowns on other islands to celebrate the end of Ramadan with family. Also because yesterday was Bali new year and the famous "quiet day" (see below) lots of Gen Z types run away to Lombock or Gili Islands so they can party as normal.   So Bali right now is like the old days, strangely peaceful.. Last week I was telling you about my busy week.. and updates from Nepal.. if you missed you can catch up here . Peaceful.... As promised I finally managed to upload the content we collected in India, on our trip to the gemstone artisan town: Khambhat.. which also holds some other Cricket related surprises.. You can check it out here .. It's a totally Off the Grid - kind of place.. and we met some amazing people and well just ch...

Here in Bali, Raul is visiting and we’ve been working together most days from the AW Advantage office . The pace has been intense. We’re running around like crazy updating websites and systems. The latest to go under the hood is AWArtisan.eu . From the outside it might look like a simple refresh — but behind the scenes the backend work is huge. Cleaning data, restructuring systems and preparing things for the next stage. All the websites including the UK main site will change over the next few weeks. We hope you appreciate the changes.. it should be a better (we hope it is) user experience.. and that you can find ever more Gifting Opportunities at AW. It’s a bit like renovating a house while still living in it. At the same time there’s a real “end of term” feeling around the office. Across Indonesia the big celebration is Idul Fitri , marking the end of Ramadan. Many of our team are heading home this weekend to visit their families — travelling to different islands across the archipe...

From Gujarat to Goa… and back to Bali Before leaving Khambhat , our gemstone friends insisted we visit a nearby Hindu temple — a place filled with enormous Shiva Lingam stones . Inside the temple stands a monumental lingam , the sacred symbol of Lord Shiva. In Hindu tradition the lingam represents the creative force of the universe — the endless cycle of creation, destruction and renewal. Locals were so happy to welcome us, excited even, wanted selfies and thanked us for visiting.  Devotees perform a ritual known as abhishek , gently pouring water, milk or oil over the stone while offering prayers. Watching Mr Chatterjee perform this ancient ritual up close is surprisingly moving. The smooth stone slowly darkens as the liquid flows over it, collecting in channels below — a simple act repeated for centuries. Our friend, the mining guy above right in the picture and his brother took us on a VIP tour.. The temple is full of local agate, many gemstone decor and huge lingam stones. For...

Greetings from India Hope you are well. Last week I was telling you about our whiskey drama and how India is not so bad these days. If you missed it you can catch up here. We had made it to the city of Vadodara in Gujarat - a dry state from there our friend the mine owner picked us up and drove us to the famous gemstone artisan town Khambhat which is an unbelievably historic and otherworldly place. Khambhat.. woah this place! Not exactly on any tourist maps. No yoga cafés. No mountain views. Not even a proper hotel (We stayed just out of town at a highway stopover.). Sadly the sea coast silted up and the sea is 10 kilometers in the distance, but they still have a seaside promenade. Many ancient British buildings. And we were taken to a place of epic history totally abandoned. The place is just heat, dust, narrow streets… and history that runs deep. The old town part still has tiny trading stores that look a hundred years old. We have several suppliers in this town, people w...

Greetings from Vadodara, in Gujarat Gujarat is a dry state - alcohol consumption is banned even carrying alcohol is against the law. And both Toni and I have expensive whiskey we bought as presents for friends. Hope we don't get in trouble.. it was a little stressful at the airport..   but so far no problem. Yes I never heard of Vadodara either.   And it's a surprising place. I'll tell you why later. So this week we have been crazy busy, in the Delhi fair - It happens twice a year, this is the Spring fair where many of our suppliers can be found. Last week I was telling you about our last days in Kathmandu, and my thoughts on Gifting Opportunities.. There's lots!   If you missed it you can catch up here . Well… Delhi doesn’t do things quietly. It's been a whirlwind few days at the trade show — reconnecting with suppliers, shaking hands, doing deals, devising products and trying (unsuccessfully) to be in five places at once. Wow they did a great job this y...

Greetings from Aerocity, Delhi. Hope you had a great Valentine's weekend! We have just arrived in India from Kathmandu. Toni and I took an Indigo (very short) flight down to Delhi T3, landing at 3pm. Bondhan, our man in Indonesia, braved Air India and flew from Denpasar to Delhi T3, also landing at 3pm, although a much longer flight. The plan was to meet in the luggage hall. What could possibly go wrong? Amazingly, it worked, and we easily found each other. It's Bondhan's very first trip to India. So this should be interesting, especially since later we will be going hardcore India.  But the first evening is at an airport hotel - in an area called Aerocity.. Basically, all the hotels in the world have built a hotel here. We are staying at a Lemon Tree Hotel, a lovely, well-loved Indian brand that famously employs disabled and disadvantaged people. Recycled water in the toilets, etc. It's very woke.. Trump would hate it. We loved it. This morning, Chatterjee (our man in ...