The Elegant Coat

Baggage.
At this point, talking about baggage seems a little insignificant, but, in reality, baggage was a big deal. Often, when I passed thru customs I had to answer a lot of questions about mine.
At the time, the baggage limit for international travelers was maxed at 30 kilos—yes, 66 pounds! To start with, I had 22 pounds of film, 12 pounds of first aid and medical supplies, and 16 pounds of paint and brushes! I had searched all the luggage supply houses and finally located two suitcases that weighed a mere eight pounds. They were not of the best quality, but they would have to do. That left me with only 12 pounds for clothes and shoes! Needless to say, whenever I went anywhere by air, I wore my heaviest shoes and layered all my heaviest clothes! Fortunately, I had planned to stay in warm climates so I didn’t need sweaters and long johns.
I made two great purchases in the months before I left. The first was the result of an error. I had found a light weight cotton skirt and blouse outfit that “would do”, but was not particularly attractive. I didn’t buy it. Then later, I decided it was the best available, so I called the store to have it delivered. What came was not what I had ordered, but something similar – and - much more expensive! It cost $25! Today that seems insignificant, but when you realize that my entire trip, including all transport cost, in toto, less than $5700, you can imagine just how much $25 was! However, the dress weighed less than 3 ounces, so how could I say no? And, it turned out to be a great bargain. I wore the dress until it literally fell apart.
The second seeming lapse of judgment was in Florida. I was visiting my parents and my mother dragged me to a fashion show at an elegant high end boutique in Fort Lauderdale. I was not in the market for high fashion! But when they brought out a rain coat in a stunning mélange of yellow flowers, featuring a new process of waterproofing light weight fabrics, I was mush. It could double as a coat as well as a rain coat! Little did I know that that elegant coat and I had date with destiny!
It was Hong Kong. I was living in Kowloon and had been invited for a posh dinner at one of the magnificent private homes on the crest of the mountain in Hong Kong. I dressed in what little finery I had, donned the coat, proceded to the ferry, and took a seat on one side of the aisle. Shortly thereafter, two obviously well bred, very beautifully dressed young Chinese girls took seats on the other side of the aisle a few rows ahead of me. Then, just before we took off, three inebriated young American sailors came in, eyed the young women and sat down a couple of rows behind them. They immediately began uttering loud, crude, suggestive comments in the girls’ direction. The girls became visibly upset and uncomfortable. Passengers turned around to see what was going on and became agitated. I sensed the possibility of an emerging confrontation. I summoned as much dignity as I could muster and rose in all my finery. I greeted the sailors and ceremoniously sat down directly behind the ladies. Equilibrium returned. When the ferry docked, the girls graciously turned to thank me!
As I disembarked, there, at the end of the gangway, stood the three penitent sailors! They apologized profusely. I reminded them that whenever they were in uniform, they were representing the United States of America and when their behavior was objectionable, it was a reflection on all Americans, as well as themselves. Being inebriated, was no excuse for bad manners! I owed my courage to the elegant coat!
My purse was my final great design. Tourists in Italy were being troubled by robbers who slashed at their bags with sharp knives so that everything fell out, so I bought a heavy leather bag with a long zipper with a lock on the end. Then I had straps with buckles added over the top so that opening was well protected. Nobody was getting into my purse uninvited! The inside was spacious and since it did not have to be weighed, it became a repository for the Polaroid camera and all my valuables. In addition, friends had given me several passport cases in a variety of colors. I turned these into a filing system so that I all my papers and documents could be readily accessible! Except for the photography, I was organized.

Pincushion and Hot Babe

Planning the trip was an extensive process.  In addition to contacting co-workers, friends, and acquaintances who had contacts in other parts of the world, I had to think of the health problems and other issues I would encounter en route.  In many of the areas where I planned to go, medical services and supplies would not be available.  I would have to carry first aid equipment with me.  I had to beprepared should I have an accident and be unconscious,  if I were bitten by a poisonous snake or eat spoiled food or be bitten by some insect that carried a noxious disease.  I even had to write a will and arrange for my body to be returned to the US should I die in some unexpected disaster.  I developed a close relationship with my personal physician and lawyer, preparing for untold emergencies. Six months before I left, my arms felt like pin cushions. I had had every shot in the book so that if I had a bad reaction I would have time to recover.  Then, just before I actually left I had a round of “boosters”.  The doctor had also suggested that during the weeks before my departure, I not be too careful about washing my hands too much or eating with silverware that had dropped on the floor so that my immunity to the common germs would be well developed.

Arranging financing for the trip was another major undertaking!  There was no such thing as a credit card or an “ ATM”.  There were traveller’s checks, but no one was sure they would be accepted out of the mainstream of tourist travel and anyway, you had to purchase them to begin with.  Although I had some savings, my checks would be arriving on a biweekly basis throughout the year, and I didn’t have the reserves to make such a large outlay.  The president of the bank where I had my checking account came to my rescue, suggesting that he prepare a “letter of credit” that would allow me to go any international bank and get money in the currency of that country.  He would attach it to my checking account so that I could have a ready source of money, and my secretary would deposit my checks each pay period.  He then arranged for me sign two notes, so that if I needed additional money, or my bank account ran low, additional funds would be available.   And, he would not initiate a loan until I needed it.  The idea of two loans was so that I would not have to borrow more money than necessary at any one time.  He would not date the second note until I needed money.  That way, interest payments could be minimized.   I will be forever grateful to that bank executive!  He watched over my finances the whole three years, always keeping me financially solvent! 

I also needed to carry a sizable amount of “emergency” cash on me.  Common knowledge said that thieves were too well aware of carrying cash in a pouch between the breasts for that to be a viable alternative.   Instead, I made two little pouches to snap into the cups of my bra, and carried $1000 in hundred dollar bills as breast supports!  Great idea?  Yes, but  American currency doesn’t breathe – and I was often one “hot babe”!

This whole process was quite exhausting!  Never before had I been forced to think of all the eventualities that might befall me in the process of daily life, and come up with possible responses.   I have to admit that, at times, it was a little intimidating!  And I haven’t even mentioned determining my itinerary or getting visas, etc!

Adventuring!

I am a 93 year old woman who has lived an unusual and adventurous life!  One of the more exciting periods began in 1960, when I started travelling in remote, isolated areas of the third world.  I was a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Clinical Services of the City School District in Rochester, New York, and was due to have a sabbatical year.  I had travelled extensively throughout Europe and South America and wanted to go to Asia and Africa.  A requisite for a travel leave was a purposeful study.  I had always been interested in the dynamics of human interaction in families, so I decided to explore family dynamics in remote areas of the world, very different from western culture, where I had no verbal language in common and where children had had little, if any, access to education, paper or pencils.  I would introduce young children 3-8 or 9 years of age to tempura painting as my modus operandi.

   In 1960, the world was a very different place from today.  The Peace Corps had not yet been created.  Instant information was not at one’s fingertips.  IBM would not introduce the personal computer for twenty years.  The internet wouldn’t arrive for still another ten years, and wireless communication, cell phones, and digital cameras yet another five!  There was no “Wikipedia” or “Facebook” or “GPS”.   The “global” world as we know it today did not exist.

            Air travel in the US was well developed, and plane travel to Europe was beginning to replace ships, but travel to the Orient was still in its infancy.  Flights were infrequent and long.  Jet planes were not standard fare!  I remember reassuring my mother, who was elderly and afraid something dire might happen to her while I was away, that “There are three planes to Africa every week and I could be home in a two days!”  Of course, I neglected to inform her that I might be a thousand miles from the nearest international airport!  Travel to famous historical sites and international cities was well established, but outside the mainstream, where I planned to go, travel was primitive and unpredictable.  A white woman travelling alone into the hinterlands of Asia and Africa was a rarity!  Often I was one of the first white persons to interact in a personal way with the children, and almost always the first American!  I was a curiosity!

            I had no set itinerary as I traveled.   What I did and where I went was dependent on friends of friends, non- governmental organizations (NGOs) that had projects in isolated areas, or someone I met along the way who would offer suggestions and assistance.  In time, each day became an unexpected adventure,  and I shall be eternally grateful to all of the individuals who made the journey possible! 

If , in the ensuing blogs, I can  give you even a tingle of the excitement I felt as I met each new venture, reflect even a fraction of the response and warmth I found waiting around each new corner, or if I can get  you to laugh with me at some of the ridiculous situations I got myself into,  I will  have been successful.