I was in Yangon last week to spend time with our new Country Manager, Yadanar. As always, it was an invaluable week plugging into the heart of the company and "recharging" my understanding of why we do what we do. But given I no longer live there, there's always some discomfort which comes with the joy of visiting: it's a very privileged position being able to parachute in to a place that I love, to see old friends, to eat my favourite things, return to old haunts and then fly home again, leaving the day-to-day stress and anguish of life there behind.
It was 40 degrees, and everybody was feeling it. George Orwell referred to May as "crime season" as the heat gets to people and pushes them to act on their frustrations. But for the fleeting guest, the heat doesn't register - you're too busy delighting in the bobbing bougainvillea, the different textures in your noodles, the colourful chaos of the markets.
The weather makes May a difficult time of year in Burma at the best of times, and even more so when the socio-political context is complicated, ever-changing, and has direct implications on your everyday decisions.
However, as ever the Burmese, the world's most resilient people, crack on and deal with it and make whatever feeble hiccup of inconvenience one might be grappling with back home feel rather whimpering.
We flew around town checking samples, choosing colours and finishes and deciding how best to navigate the latest wild pieces of legislation sent to test us.
Most importantly, I picked up the final samples of lots of new products which are going to be launching over the next few months. I am so excited about what's coming and can't wait to share it with you all.
The first is a limited edition summer product which is coming next week. Keep your eyes peeled!
And in the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy the below pictures. The beer bottle caps are how the glass-blowers keep count of how many glasses they have made: simple, efficient, beautiful.
Also, did you know that all of our boxes are made by hand? Not because they're particularly better that way (although they are extremely strong), but just because that's how they do it over there. It's so satisfying to watch.
