Unveiling a winner

These trips are about stamina and perseverance. It takes time, desire, wherewithal and creativity to find or create good things. Right now, we’re in search of a winner in Batubulan. Claudia and Glen know where to look.

They’ve covered this area many times before. Their energy astounds me. It’s hot, sticky and frankly uncomfortable under the beating sun, but we keep going. “Drink plenty of water,” Glen says. It’s a common sense mantra.

Buying is like hunting. One has to stalk their prey. When we find something we pause, becoming lions in the grass – staring, staring, staring – evaluating every aspect of the piece.

Glen getting beat by the heat

The questions keep coming. Some answers are measurable, some are not. Is the piece in proportion? Does it have heart? So many questions are asked it becomes dizzying but all are designed to help answer one other question, perhaps the most important we can ask: is this something we can and want to present?

If the answer to the above is yes, then it’s time to pounce. Some times an acquisition can happen immediately; some times it can take days. Regardless of time frame, it always seems to be a well rehearsed dance involving price, payment and schedules.

There are so many languages involved – some verbal, some not – that it can become confusing. At one point I asked Glen, “How do you know what he’s saying?” “There’s only one true international language,” he responded, “the calculator.” After watching him, I agree.

Claudia masterminds the shipping