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.