My cousin gets ready for a trip to Philippines; and as always, I am there to give him the much needed tips and guidance, especially since I always pretend to be an expert on such matters…

I help him gather things that he may need- maps, guidebooks, contact numbers, gift vouchers, books to read, first aid kit etc. Then I go on and tell him all those ‘wonderful’ things about Philippines that I had gathered from my reading. I tell him about the people of Philippines, about the festivals there, about the islands, about the rivers and the mountains, about the climate and about many other things.

I am sure my cousin has begun to see me as a source of exhaustive knowledge on places and people all across the world. This is because I have always been doing this with him and others. He has always looked upon me as a friend and a reliable guide at all times. But what I am not sure is this. When he returns from his trip to Philippines, would he still remain thankful for the information that I had provided? Would he still see me as a person with sufficient knowledge about people and places? Or would be take a U-turn and make fun of the bookish knowledge that I had gained and imparted? Well, can’t say. Let me just hope for the best…

Anyhow, here’s wishing my cousin a wonderful experience and a safe, pleasant trip to Philippines…