In Reply to: are VIP VOA safe?? may sound stupid posted by Husky on Saturday, 6. December 2008 at 20:17 Bali Time:
Husky, your comments throw up a really interesting question that before the days of terrorist bombers, dodgy drug deals and identity theft, this whole thing is a topic that would simply never have entered our heads!
I stayed at the Intercontinental on my last trip to Bali back in April. When it came time to check-out and come home, the hotel arranged its own transport for my transfer to the ariport.
I went in one vehicle and my baggage was placed in another. I'm not sure why this was the case but they put me in a car and took my two bags in a people-mover van.
The van led us off but when we got to the hotel's front gate it went in one direction and we went in another! I don't know this happened but because I was talking to the driver as we left, the split in direction didn't really register with me. I'd noticed it happen, but didn't think anything of it until we got to the airport.
The baggage van had already arrived a couple of minutes before us and the hotel's airport valet was unloading my stuff. He took it through security and then walked it to the airline counter where he checked my bags and took care of the seating business.
As I watched my bags disappear down the conveyer belt it suddenly hit me that the bags had been out of my possession - and my sight for quite some time! Anything could have happened!
My mind immediately raced forward to a potential scene at immigration back in Australia where I'm asked if I had packed my own bags etc - you know the routine. They then open the bag and reveal things I had never seen before! Do you reckon they are going to believe my story about how the bags supposedly got the airport?...err, I don't think so! I'm sure you all know where this headed!
Of course, the hotel was simply providing a high level of personal service but the fact is my baggage was out of sight and in the possession of complete strangers for around 25 minutes - plenty of opportunity to stash something without my knowledge. And it's highly unlikely that I would have thought to open and check everything before going through the airport doors simply because the bags did not travel in the same behicle as me to the airport!
If the van had simply been on the road in front of us the problem would have been slightly less of an issue because at least I could see that there had been no stops along the way or picking-up people who were not Hotel employees. That's not to say that something couldn't have occurred while the van was in motion, but it would have at least reduced one dangerous possibility.
I've had many nightmares about what potentially could have happened to me on the last trip. It was poor judgement on my behalf to have allowed the situation to develop in the first place. It was also plain dumb! Fortunately I arrived home and passed through Customs without incident but it could have been so different. Suffice to say, I will never allow such a situation too occur again.
Cheers - kevin