Big wheels turning, as the world around us changes but actually we know half the truth and probably twice the fake truth.

China update..

Coco is quarantined for seven days in a hotel on the outskirts of her hometown. It was a five star hotel, but now it is run down and nothing works. She told me this morning that for food they gave her a pot noodle and cheap electric kettle to boil water, but the tap water runs a muddy yellow. She was given a small mineral water and told to make it last two days. It's OK, she told me, only seven days.. I told her to (expletive) scream at someone. This is China she told me, nothing to do but follow the rules. The madness of zero covid in China is leading where? Even if they win the battle against covid... What then? They can never ever open the borders. What is really going on?

Boris went to India to talk about free trade deals, and relaxed imigration rules to fill gaps in the labour market (caused by Brexit).. meanwhile he forgot to sort the small detail about Brits travelling to India. The rest of the world (including Russians) can get an e-visa quickly and easily online. But UK nationals are banned. I mean what hell is going on? 

Mr Chatterjee keeps asking me when I am coming..  all I can say is ASAP.. meanwhile he is doing a good job finding new products and keeping stock flowing.

But at least it has been possible to travel to Indonesia, and the fruit of previous trips is arriving in our warehouses in Europe. Ringo and his team have been working really hard to ship goods from our warehouse in Bali. One consequence of the lockdown in Shanghai is that shipping containers are at last available and plentiful. But despite the glut, shipping costs have only fallen a smidgen.. I mean what the flipping-heck is going on?

The president of Indonesia just announced that export of palm oil is banned in order to protect food supplies to the nation. My intel sources in Indonesia tell me that the farmers and exporters are angry because the price of vegetable oil is rocketing up on world markets so they had stood to make a fortune. Now blocked..A massive 50% of the world supply comes from Indonesia. So this is huge. All oil prices will be affected.  

Soy wax in China for example is only available at ridiculous prices, we have closed the AW candle factory for now. Where will this madness end?

Good news is that stock is still flowing and new beautiful products arrived from Indonesia this week. It makes me happy to think that all over Indonesia artisans are working hard producing beautiful things that land in our Frangipani warehouse and then wend their way to your shop and to your customers' homes. Everyone is happy and a virtuous - magical, life improving circle is maintained.

Like big wheels turning.. but in a good way.

Check out our Indonesian Products Page..

David