dolma jewelry

I stood in line to check in for my flight at the airport. With one carry-on and a small purse, I looked around to see if any other passengers had packed as light as I. I didn’t see one person without at least one bag to check, and I smiled to myself as I recalled my second buying trip-my mother was with me, and we… over packed. We thought we were prepared… until the last bag circled the baggage claim unit in Shanghai, and it wasn’t ours. Ever since, I’ve carried on. The woman at the counter was so impressed with my packing skills that she gave me three drink tickets for the plane ride!

While in line at security, a man behind me struck up a conversation, “Where are you going?”

I had just watched the movie Taken a week before-the one where the Albanian Mob coerces young girls into telling them where they are staying while abroad, kidnaps them, drugs them and forces them to be sex slaves-and there was no way that guy was going to get me to reveal even my destination’s continent.

On the plane, I slept the whole way to LA, but the 12 hour flight to Tokyo thereafter was a different story. My carry on was under my feet , and the seat in front of me seemed to go much further back than every other seat on the plane. I did not sleep a wink.

In Tokyo, I met up with a great friend named Caroline who happened to be in Japan with her family. She had never been to China before, and we decided that after I finished all my business, we’d have some fun! So, we spent the first 6 days with my vendors: I was designing, redesigning, approving samples, scratching designs, emailing clients, sending pictures for approval-and Caroline patiently watched the entire season of Lie to Me on her Iphone, plus a few dozen movies.

Every night we had a foot massage, ate good Chinese food, and slept until 10am! It was a true vacation. After Shanghai, we headed to Beijing to see Tian’amen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Tian’amen Square and The Forbidden City are across the street from one another, and we decided to walk from the hotel. The walk was longer than the concierge had estimated, and it had lots of left and right turns. Thank goodness the attraction is so famous-I feel like all of Beijing worked together to point us in the right direction. Finally, I noticed a memorable building and knew we were close. But nothing else was the same. We were standing across from Tian’amen Square… in a new walking street with a tram, an ice cream shop, and high-end shopping. I told Caroline, “I’m sorry to report that China has demolished the Forbidden City and replaced it with this walking street”. After about 30 minutes of meandering, we ran into an Australian women, and when I mentioned what a shame it was that Caroline never got to see the Forbidden City, she told us that we were on the wrong side of Tian’amen Square-the Forbidden City was on the other side…

As we approached the Forbidden City, we had a few minutes to take photographs before the first Chinese person asked to take his photo with us. We obliged, and just as he walked away, another Chinese person asked to take a photo. Then another, and another, and another, and another, until it started to rain-we hoped in a rickshaw and headed to the hotel to get ready for an Acrobatics show that night.

The next afternoon we hired a driver to take us to Simatai, an untouched portion of the Great Wall that I had never been to but had heard was a great place to go. After the drive, Caroline and I rode the lift, the tram, and hiked another quarter mile before reaching this mountain-top area of the Great Wall. Caroline was so funny about the occasional vendors: when they approached her selling something (like postcards, books and paintings) she would give them a taste of their own medicine and try to sell the vendor her things. She tried to sell her scarf, her sunglasses, and even her camera. Typically, the vendor would be very confused and just walk away, but she got an offer on her camera!

After Beijing, we headed to Qingdao, (or Tsing Tao, in the old spelling), the area of China settled by the Germans. You may be familiar with Tsing Tao beer-it comes from this city! Two of our college friends were living and working there, and we hoped on a plane and spent two days with them at the beach, the night markets, and enjoying Tsing Tao beer!

It was a fabulous trip. And in a few days I will receive all the fabulous new pieces that my words fail to describe. Stay glued to www.dolmaperl.com, and refresh the webpage frequently… because you don’t want to miss the big, bold, colorful styles we’ll be launching in just a few days. This line is like nothing you’ve seen before! Moreover, each piece will hold a special place in my heart, as this last buying trip was so memorable and fun.

Ashley