Wholesale Big Wheels Turning - Ancient Wisdom - Giftware and Aromatherapy Supplier

Greetings from Jakarta (again).

Early Friday morning in central Jakarta, I can hear protestors in the streets, horns and whistles - complaining about fuel price rises. Open the news and see that the Queen has passed away.

Today Coco should return to China.. It is one of those days.

Last week I was telling you about the horrendous covid hoops that they make you jump through before returning to China. Four tests over two days with different clinics in different parts of the city.

If you missed that newsletter you can catch up here.

We went to the first test.. just after I sent last week's news...

Groundhog day.. After the first test within a couple of hours Coco receives a message that there is no need to do the rest of the tests, she has tested positive... again. I'm dubious.. let's get our own test done now.. Next door to our apartment complex is a hospital with a testing place. Again (same as last week) our independent test comes back negative.

This has really messed up the plans, cancelled flight, quarantine hotel.. it's a mess. So we extended our apartment booking and figured out what to do.

I speak to Bondhan who is from Java and ask what we can do.. he asks me if we have been offered an "agent" yet.. Apparently that's how it works.. an "agent" - for a "fee" - can fix things. Then I remembered that the helpful guy in the hospital had given me the personal phone number of the China guy in charge - "just in case we needed help" .. I found the business card with the mobile number scribbled on the back.

Maybe I'm getting paranoid.. is someone messing with us?

Coco is very active on Chinese social media - her views of her whimsical uploads can be over 30,000 views with hundreds of commentators. I worry she is bringing the wrong kind of attention. A large subset of her followers are also going through the same process of leaving Indonesia for China.

Should I call the number? Pay a bribe maybe and get Coco back to her family in China. Well no.. in 25 years for doing business we have never paid a bribe, and not planning to start now. But what to do, wait a week and go though the whole expensive process again?

But big wheels are turning and things change quickly.. Hong Kong announces shorter quarantine and more flights into mainland China to reduce a huge backlog. One of Coco's followers recommends a travel agent who can arrange everything, flight to Hong Kong, quarantine hotel for three days and a flight to Xiamen in China, from where Coco can do the seven day quarantine and then get back to Yiwu and her family. The agent assures her that PCR tests in Hong Kong are free of corruption, and non of her clients has had an undue problem.

So yesterday morning we went for another PCR test within a few hours it came back.. negative of course.. and the China Embassy green card, flight, hotel and flight out of HK all confirmed.

If all goes well, by the time you are reading this Coco will be on the flight.

When will I see her again? I don't know.. we are hoping at Christmas and New Year, if (and there are a lot of if's) those big wheels keep turning and things come back to a better kind of normality.

It's has been wonderful being back together with Coco, lots of adventures over the last couple of months.. we went to East Java, Floris Islands, all over Bali, done lots of business.. sorted lots of things both in in Indonesia and China. It's been productive and great fun.. but now I come to say goodbye, I worry that... well you know..

Live is an adventure.. and Coco always says.. Let's see what happens come.

Meanwhile - I'm informed it's all happening in UK.. very busy now with lots of deliveries coming.

Who knows how the big wheels will turn but even at a hint of a power-cut candle sales will sky rocket.. and word from our main supplier in Germany is factory prices could double again soon.

So think about stocking up on candles, anything that keeps you warm and I still feel we are going to need some extra pampering this winter..

A little good news from Indonesia.. those big wheels have turned and the cost of getting a 40ft container from Indonesia to Europe has suddenly dropped from €15,000 to €8,000 (it used to be €2,500).

This is great news because we have a warehouse stuffed full of products too bulky and thus too expensive to ship.. we immediately booked three containers and Ringo is working round the clock getting ready to ship next week.

I'll update you on the latest happenings next week..

Take care.

David