I suppose most of us usually travel on an airline assuming that our luggage will arrive either with us or, worst case scenario, a few days later. What we don’t expect is to find that our luggage has arrived, but only after having been completely plundered by the very people we entrusted it to, yet this is exactly what is happening with luggage going into and out of South Africa.

I thought it was a fluke when a friend of mine went there last year only to have one suitcase looted of anything that could possibly be resold, including her clothing. Luckily for her, they took the Levi’s and left the Armani! I then assumed it was coincidence when another friend divulged that a few months earlier a similar thing had happened to him when traveling to South Africa. One of his two bags had been opened and anything of value liberated. As I questioned both travelers, I was surprised to discover that in both situations the cases were opened with TSA keys! In fact, in one case they even left a little note indicating it had been officially opened – how kind. Of course, I found this to be appalling, but after realizing that it was airport personnel I became twice as concerned.

As the dawning of 2008 came and went without hearing of any more incidents I began to think that either the South African government had done as promised to stop the thefts or that it was indeed mere coincidence that two of my friends had been hit. After all, I have traveled there many times and have never had this experience despite State Department warnings. However, just the other day my neighbor’s sister arrived from South Africa having gone through a similar incident. Anything remotely worthwhile was missing from the suitcase. I immediately inquired as to whether or not she had put TSA locks on and whether they were still locked, to which she replied, “Yes, my dear. The TSA locks were there and still locked. The government has apparently solved the problem. Unfortunately, they cut the bag open due to no longer having the keys.”

As I scratched my head in semi-disbelief, I reminded myself of something every international traveler must tell themselves as they click their heels three times: “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” Yes Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore!

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

So last night I was a guest of the Four Seasons group at the Beverly Wilshire. As you already know about me, I am a native of Los Angeles and am not usually into the star sightings, but last night was quite entertaining, even for a jaded native.

The hotel itself is still a beautiful property in a fabulous location off of Rodeo Drive, and the inclusion of the Wolfgang Puck restaurant Cut is a welcome addition. The atmosphere was very upscale L.A. trendy, the food divine, the service impeccable. We all started off with tasty appetizers, fine wine and great conversation, but before the entrees arrived, the fun began.

First, David Gregory walked in. As a very political person, I enjoyed seeing my favorite White House correspondent, but as the night wore on, the non-intrusive flashing of the ever-present paparazzi cameras on the street outside the restaurant gave the impression of a French discotheque in the ’90s, and there was definitely good reason. It was the night of the biggies at Cut, and being the L.A. hotspot it is, it did not let any stargazer down. We thought we were lucky seeing Dave, but then in walked TomKat. Yes, Tom walking in front leading his shy wife Katie, hair covering her face, to a large back corner table. Interesting little couple, but no Suri in sight. Must have been adults’ night out! Not much later, Ben Stiller and his wife joined the Cruises for what ended up being a four-hour soiree, and of course, we all took guesses at the topic of conversation for this irregular foursome; Ben being a funnyman and Tom….well, you know. Alas, the night was not nearly over, as the tabloid subject of the year arrived, new paparazzi boyfriend in tow. Poor Britney, after recently being banned from another local L.A. hotel, she decided the Beverly Wilshire was to be her destination for the night. Not a pretty picture as she was turned away from the restaurant for not having a reservation. See, even celebrities get turned away!

All in all, I must say that meeting Wolfgang and seeing David Gregory were the highlights for this girl. I know it sounds odd, but for those of you that already know me you would say it’s typical. The one thing I would like to mention, though, is how we never felt compromised by their appearances. Often when a star makes an appearance at a restaurant you are left feeling like an insignificant patron, but not at Cut. In fact, when Britney was turned away and we were being greeted by Wolfgang and dining elegantly, we all felt like stars!

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine