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Greetings from Goa, India Yesterday we escaped Delhi's honking and traffic.. India is a country of contrasts, and now we are in calm and peaceful North Goa. Where the only sound - as I write this - is of bird song. Peaceful Goa Years ago we bought an apartment here to escape to. It's being renovated at the moment so we are staying in the hotel next door.  Last week we were in Greater Noida at the big trade show. I was telling you many of the suppliers we met were not actually exhibiting except from hotel rooms nearby. So we spent a lot of time in small hotels crammed in bedrooms full of samples. If you missed it you can catch up here . After the trade show we headed to Central Delhi. We need to check on some shipments that are about to be dispatched and seek out possible new suppliers..  There are many trading areas in Delhi.. but none so crazy as the infamous.. Pahar Ganj! All the travel YouTubers are rocking up here these days. It's a reliable chaotic place, with beggars ...

Greetings from Greater Noida, India It's more noisy than ever in India. I'm visiting our suppliers in the trade show in Greater Noida which is an extension of Delhi. Last week I was telling you about being a Festival VIP and not really liking that. If you missed it, you can catch up here . Since then Mr Chatterjee and I caught an Indigo flight from Kolkata to Delhi, and the same day Tomas flew from Denpaser to Kuala Lumpur and on Batik Air (highly recommended) to Delhi. Mr Chatterjee's son, Drishanta met Tomas at the airport and brought him to our hotel. Arriving late at night, so on Wednesday morning we met, had breakfast and hit the trade show here. Our hotel (you need to book it six months in advance) is inside the grounds of the exhibitions and we can walk directly into the sprawling halls of creativity. Lost money saga. As soon as Mr Chatterjee and I landed in Delhi and exited the airport (quick and efficient these days) we were of course checking messages. A lon...

Greetings from Kolkata, India I just arrived last night, flying down from Kathmandu by Air India. I spent Thursday morning tying up the loose ends on two (maybe three) interesting deals, after a hectic week sorting out delayed orders and shipping problems.   Then saying goodbye to our sweet, delightful and kind (if a little slow) Nepali suppliers. My timing in Kathmandu turned out to be good, as I leave a big festival, a ten day holiday, is kicking off: The Dashain Festival which seems to consist of many mini fairgrounds, loud music and big red splodges on foreheads..   Factories and shops close, it's festival time guys! As I land in Kolkata the famous Durga Puja is in mid-flow. Mr Chatterjee met me at the airport in full festival dress, as we drove to his hometown an hour away on the banks of the Ganges we pasted many brightly lit garish LED signs, banks of them, buildings banked in them. Passageways are vivid with festival lights. My pictures all came out a blur.. ...

Greetings from Kathmandu, Nepal Happy Halloween October! Did you see the news ? They said I was crazy to come here.  Last week I was telling you about some strange things going on in China. If you missed it you can catch up  here . Floods decimated the Kathmandu plain and even the city has been hit badly. But I had flights and hotels booked, because this was a leg on the way to India. I spoke with Mr Padam, our lovely gentleman shipping agent. "Namaste Mr David, you are very welcome to be here." Our suppliers all told me not to worry.. so on Wednesday Tomas and I took a China Southern flight from Yiwu to Guangzhou. From there he caught the connection to Bali, and I took the evening flight to Kathmandu. Arrived at 12.30am local time but the captain said we had to wait for a slot so we circled the city for a while, the airport is probably one of the most disorganised in the world. It took me two hours to get through the airport. Unnecessary security checks to get ...

Greetings from Yiwu, China Hope you are doing well! Last week I was telling you about the Muggy weather and Mooncakes here in China. If you missed it you can catch up here . We are still eating the mooncakes. And still in Yiwu city. The weather has strangely cooled dramatically.. 15c drop in a day. We have been working crazy here, running around working down our wish list but also happening on some new products that you are absolutely going to swoon over. Tomas and Coco are an ace team.. making lots happen. I'm just the spreadsheet guy :/ Yesterday Coco loaded two containers in one day.. working late into the night. So Tomas and I were able to focus on our orders and get organised. On the same day in India.. Mr Chatterjee loaded a container and Ringo in Bali also.. his team always sends me a picture when they finish.. Looking cool and our head of security.. Pupim the dog. China drama - the end of the world as we know it. Coco told me that the dramatic change in temp...

Greetings from a humid Yiwu, China Yes I made it to China, and I can tell you it is unnaturally hot here.. The streets are oven hot with a humid hair-dryer-breeze. Evenings are sticky and tropical. From Bali I took the daily China Southern flight, which leaves every day at 30 minutes past midnight and arrives in Guangzhou five hours later. A big storm further up the coast was blasting Shanghai and I think we were feeling the effects, we had bouncy turbulence for almost all the flight. In Guangzhou I cleared passport control and made my way to the domestic terminal with a flight at 11am to Yiwu. We landed in Yiwu on time and my luggage arrived quickly, within minutes I find Coco waiting for me at arrivals. All seemed pretty smooth and it is amazing to be back in China. Last week I was telling you about foreigners behaving badly in Bali.. if you missed it you can catch up here .   I arrived just in time for the Mid autumn festival.. or as I call it Mooncake day.. all our supplie...

Greetings from Indonesia I hope you guys are doing well! Shortly I will be moving from here. Which is both exciting and sad .. but the circle of life at AW must continue.. standby for fresh adventures. The thing about all Indonesia (in my experience anyway) is the stress free nature of the people. The calm, gentle, no drama approach to life and other people.   Maybe because of the many diverse peoples on many different islands.. that this relatively new nation (slogan: Strength in diversity) had to learn how to get along. to accept others as they are. I'm going to miss this .. Last week I was telling you about the "No Drama Keep Smile" jolly bodybuilding politician of Bali.   And I also explained a bit about the complex process of loading a container in the AW warehouse.. if you missed it you can catch up here . Our Digital marketing team is the personification of Indonesian friendliness in diversity.. AW-Advantage.com.. (BTW these guys can help you grow your on...