You Can’t Get There . . .

In the summer of 1988 I spent an enjoyable week in Pakistan visiting Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. But I had a different experience than Frank Jossi (“Echoes of an Empire Linger on in Lahore,” Jan. 28) with air travel. Within Pakistan the flights were so cheap that it was difficult to catch flights without reservations. In Lahore they told me I could not buy a ticket to Gilgit, but must buy it in Islamabad, and then would have to wait at least one more day before I could fly. I learned that it usually takes a minimum of 10 days to reserve a flight to Gilgit, and that if Gilgit is fogged in, flights are canceled. I believe there is great demand for Gilgit in the summer to escape the heat in lower Pakistan. Most everyone was friendly and helpful.

I couldn’t get on any of the flights to Gilgit even though I got up at 4 a.m., thinking I had paid for a reservation. About 20 others couldn’t get on either.

LARRY BAILEY

Huntington Beach