When he got up, he turned around and his bag was gone. And the two kids as well.
Right now, I do not know how to contact him but I know he had to spend the whole day yesterday at the police station filing a report and also at the Malaysian consulate. He has to get a temporary emergency travel cert and other documentation from the American Embassy to reenter America. Apart from that, he has to return to Malaysia to apply for a new passport.
What a horrible start to what was meant to be a holiday for him in Paris, Milan and then Istanbul!
I am deeply distressed as I am worried for him and hope that he can get his travel documents without much hassle.
Travelling can be a stressful affair. I have had my own share of misadventures as well.
Years ago, I was in Europe on a vacation with a friend. I had kept a small bottle of Ipoh Oil in the front pocket of my backpack. One morning, I was in Nice, queueing up at a post office to buy stamps to send my husband a postcard. There was no Internet then in 1992. Suddenly, I caught a whiff of Ipoh Oil in the air. Golly - I thought to myself - they must be marketing geniuses to have made inroads even in Nice! And then it hit me. Someone must have unzipped my backpack!
I turned around and standing behind me was a gypsy with a towel draped on his left shoulder. He turned away and then promptly ran away!
A few days later in Rome, I was walking just outside the catacombs area. A couple of kids ran up to me waving a map which they shoved at me. The tour guide had already briefed us about the usual modus operandi of pickpockets so I quickly turned and walked off. Another tourist in the bus was not so lucky. She helped the kid and while studying the map, she was completely unaware that the kid had adroitly unzipped her pouch and nicked her wallet.
I know of another friend who lost his laptop in Hamburg. He had left it in his trolley which he was pushing slowly as he was in transit for about 2 hours. Another passenger came up to him and asked for directions to the check-in counter. He turned to point in the right direction after which the passenger thanked him. By the time he turned round to push his trolley, his laptop was GONE!
Apart from such misadventures, I have also had the misfortune of travelling with fusspots. The worst case scenario was that 1992 summer vacation with the girl. Obviously, we shared a room throughout the five-week vacation. During that time:
* I was not allowed to flush the toilet in the middle of the night if I had to go and ease myself
* I was not allowed to get up before she did
* I was not allowed to clear my throat in the middle of the night- I have a sinusitis problem and sometimes have post-nasal drip
* I was not allowed to make any noise at all if I had to get up in the morning to get my stuff from my luggage to shower. Everything had to be taken out the night before, she said!
* I was not allowed to turn if we shared a twin-bed - Thank goodness I only had the misfortune to share a twin bed with her ONCE in Switzerland.
* if she wanted to borrow my money for shopping, I would lend her but if I needed $, she would say, "Wait. Let me finish my shopping first."
* and many more horrible conditions
Believe me. It was the worst holiday of my life. I remember sitting in the square in Vienna and crying my eyes out when writing a postcard to my husband. Looking back, I kick myself for being such a weakling and a wimp. Yuks! How disgraceful to be so weak and emotionally feeble. Yup - I used to be such an emo idiot. Scared,timid, emotional and insecure. If this had happened to me now, aha - it would have been a very different tale....mua hahahaha!!
On another holiday to Perth with another colleague, I ended up having to be coffee and tea lady for my travel partner who was finicky but not as cantankerous as the one I had in Europe. By the fourth day, I told her that if she wanted to have coffee, she had to boil water herself. Yup - she broke the kettle jug.
Since 1992, I have always opted to travel ALONE or with people whom I really know true and through. It is safer, less stressful and I can do whatever I want.
Where security is concerned, I am not really worried because my cousin who is a Wing-Tsun exponent, Shaolin master, Muay Thai expert and mixed martial arts practitioner has taught me and my younger boy various moves for self-defence. Each time he is in town (except for the recent CNY visit), he will revise those moves with us. Thus, I am familiar with various manoeuvres and how to zero in on the vital points of attack to defeat the perpetrator.
Whatever the case, here are some safety tips (largely from my own experience) that you might want to consider when you travel:
1.The luggage tag must never list your address.
2. Always keep your luggage with you until the luggage is checked. If you have to put your bag down, keep one foot/hand on the handle or strap.
3. Keep ALL important papers with you including photocopies of your passport, driver's license and credit cards.
4. Carry a small flashlight and body alarm. Yup - I really do that. Pepper sprays are dangerous for obvious reasons.
5. Medicines must be properly labelled.
6. Always carry a basic first aid kit with bandages,mosquito repellant, sunscreen, charcoal tabs, Immodium, allergy pills, gastric pills, panadol, allergy ointments etc.
7. Carry only one or two credit cards.
8. Never accept drinks from strangers. Never talk to strangers. Never give directions.
9. Do not do the same thing everyday if staying in the same place.
10. Remember to book hotels that use computerised cards to open room doors. Always make sure your room has a peephole and a deadbolt lock. Always secure the door chain. I normally put a chair against the bedroom door and my luggage on the chair for obvious reasons.
11. Never take a cab alone, especially unmarked cabs. When boarding a cab, note the number plate and pretend to call someone and tell them the number plate of the cab you have boarded.
12. Never carry a laptop bag or an expensive camera bag.
13. Get a local SIM card for calls and keep a spare phone for your usual number and make sure it has roaming services for people to call you and vice versa in case of emergencies.
14. If you are travelling with your kids, always have a photograph of the kid. Give them a piece of paper that has the name of the hotel and contact details in case they get lost. Better still, give them a mobile phone. That is what I do with my younger boy.
15. Never wear anything any jewellery or anything that makes you look wealthy. I always dress down and carry old, well-used luggage bags, backpacks and scruffy jeans.
16. Never discuss travel plans, your room number or any other personal information in public.
17. Do research of the place, download maps and make sure you also have umbrellas/jackets or raincoats with you.
18. Ensure the itinerary is well planned and you have enough spare change. Money should be kept in different places, preferably a neck wallet, body pouch (not waist-pouch). Laptops should be carefully locked inside the luggage bag when out of the room.
19. If you have to use a handbag instead of a backpack, use one that is roomy with a short handle that will discourage would-be snatch thieves.
20. Always wear comfortable walking shoes and use disposable underwear :-). Saves the need to do washing.
21. Remember your travel adaptor, phone/camera/laptop chargers!
Believe it or not, I travel very light!! I never check-in my luggage and my bag is usually only 7kg. After the holiday, it is about 11-12 kg because I am NOT a shopper but I do buy souvenirs for family members and friends. Apart from a cabin bag, I have a neat backpack that is big enough for my laptop and other important stuff. No handbags for me when travelling.
Whatever the case, do travel safely and make sure you have a good time. At my age, it is rare to take a long holiday because of family commitments. I do long for those years when I was teaching in an international school and enjoyed 13-14 weeks of vacation a year. Sheer bliss. Now, I am on vacation everyday. Unpaid vacation haha!
Take care and have a lovely evening!
* You might want to check out my posts on Martial Arts AT THIS LINK or a friend's horrible travel experience HERE.
JackieA Great reading your adventures! I would have told that grumpy girl off if I were you.....that must have been a horrifying trip!