On the other hand, I once left a worn-out leather belt, some goofy souvenirs from the event I attended, a raggedy pair of ancient running shoes, and a set of sweaty workout gear behind me at the Kerrey Centre Shangri-la in Beijing in the 1990s.

The month after the trip was over, I got a package in the mail containing it all, laundered and neatly packed. I think that the belt had been shoe-shined and ironed.