It seems likely I am, after all, going to Lahore this week. My brother suggested the services of his travel agent, I scoffed internally (who ever heard of a travel agent who was useful for anything at all), and twenty minutes later the fellow came back with a seat that was Rs 15,000 less than the one I had been considering. I still haven’t received my ticket so there is still a chance my disdain for travel agents will return, but for now he is in my good books. (Except for the minor point that I don’t much want to go to Lahore of course.)
In preparation, I went looking for presents this morning and came back empty handed. Here is the shopping list:
– young hope of the family, age 2 (tier 1 importance)
– young hopes of the servant’s family, aged 8, 5, 3 and 0.5 respectively (tier 1 importance)
– young male cook (late teens/ early twenties, child at heart) (tier 2)
– father (likes presents, invariably gives them away) (tier 2)
– grandmother (likes presents, doesn’t really care what it is) (tier 2)
– friend whose birthday it will be soon (tier 3)
– friend who always gives me a present (tier 3)
– others (tier 4, probably omitted)
Probably I shall end with (a) nothing (b) something inappropriate (c) something despairing and expensive.
Chief pitfall to avoid: abandon usual gift buying approach which causes heartache and leads to empty wallets, i.e.: (a) something truly special (b) something ungendered (c) something speaking to where I’m visiting from (d) something that is worth the $$$.