Black start to vacation

Black hair dye strewn carelessly over my clothes

            A hair-raising experience dampened my last trip abroad.  I had packed two packets of a black henna hair dye in my large suitcase.  As my holiday with my family was for the duration of a month and a half, packing the dye was an act of vanity.

            Upon arrival at our destination, my husband, son and I were dismayed to discover that all the locks of our luggage had been tampered with. 

My husband and I had luggage with zippers.  There was a clean cut on the metal zip heads that were locked with a small padlock. My son’s brand new suitcase had its combination lock crudely severed. This was a clear case of deliberate damage with intention to steal.

            Upon unpacking, my son did not find anything missing except his high spirits.  My husband lost three valuable watches that were gift items.  I had the worst surprise.  One of the hair dye packets was slit opened and the contents strewn carelessly and willfully all over my clothes and belongings.

           “Don’t touch anything, let me take some pictures first,” my quick-witted son called out as he grabbed his camera and took some photographs, before leaving me alone with my woes.

The locks of three luggages tampered with 

       
          Trying not to cry, I carefully removed the powdery-laden clothes, one by one.  My hands were shaky as I dusted the black powder on to an old newspaper. My hair stood on end.  I felt cold not from the weather outside but from the anguish within. Most of my clothes especially the light coloured ones had a close encounter with the irksome powder.  What a hair-raising experience!

            The next two days were spent cleaning up the mess. Thus began my ritual of scrubbing and washing stubborn stains in a foreign country instead of enjoying the sights

and sounds of a new environment.  It was a difficult and unsuccessful task!

             “Good dyes were meant to stay and not easily get washed away.” This rhyme kept running through my mind and I finally gave up the tedious efforts.  Let my white blouses and pants be with their new designs of black, yellow or green spots at strategic places!

          

            Do you have any sentiments with your clothes? does looking at them give you a nostalgic feeling of some happy occasion? I do.  Each piece reminded me of a special event - like graduations, weddings, holidays, birthday parties, shopping and so on.  As I washed, dried and folded my tainted clothes, it was like taking a trip down memory lane although this was a melancholic and depressing journey! 

.           Over the past 20 years, I have travelled to many countries far and near. This was the first time something unpleasant like this has happened. I felt angry and frustrated about the whole incident. Someone had been through my belongings!  Even though it was just a suitcase, it was an invasion of privacy. Whoever did it had a nerve!

Questions kept running through my mind. How can travellers enjoy their flight if they are unsure of the safety of their luggage? Where is the guarantee that their bags will be safe from the time it leaves their hands until they see it again in another airport?

Fellow travellers, take heed when you embark on your next trip overseas, whether it is for business or pleasure. Let me share a few pointers on how to beat thieves who do not only damage bags and steal things, but spoil holidays.

 Invest in a good durable suitcase with a reliable lock. Write your name, address and telephone number clearly on a label and fasten it securely to the suitcase. Attach an extra colourful ribbon or other personal identification tag for easy recognition when retrieving your bag at the baggage claim.

            Do not pack valuables in your big luggage; carry them with you in your hand luggage. Remember not to pack dyes, coloured liquids or curry spices together with your clothes or it could turn messy like mine did.  Ideally they should be packed separately in a box.

            Buy a travel insurance that covers theft and loss of baggage. We were compensated with a nominal sum of money from the insurance company after that ordeal.

            Many travellers have encountered cases where their luggage were sent off on a different flight and arrived later than they did or never arrived at all. One traveller had his bag travelling round the world and returned back safely to him three months later!

             So, as a safety measure, bring an extra pair of clothing, pyjamas and undergarments in your hand luggage.   Shopping for under garments in a foreign country at short notice is not an enjoyable experience, I must say.

            To prevent theft, do not leave your hand luggage unattended; bring it along with you where ever you go, even to the toilet cubicle if you are travelling alone. 

            Lastly, never help to carry anything for anyone who approaches you in the airport, however pathetic or desperate he or she may seem.  This will prevent you from being

wrongly accused of carrying whatever is in the bag, like drugs or illegal substances.

            My harrowing “hair” incident has taught me to be more careful in the future

but it will not deter me from my love of travelling. I look forward to the invention of

an electronic lock that will trigger an alarm to scare the living daylights off such

light-fingered lock-pickers.

    

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on September 11, 2000. It is edited and photos are added here.