Thanks for the advice.
Shops around my place do not rent flutes
Take a lesson if you can't get it in an hour or so ... you'll be able to produce a sound by "playing" coke bottles.
I am pretty good at making a sound from plastic bottles

The beginner lessons sound sensible. I got myself a cheap open hole (no pads) flute and it was so bad that I could not make a sound from it without tilting it at a 45 degree angle

This is the reason I am opting for the closed hole version after reading a few users reviews.
My plan B now is to buy the western flute and read a book before giving it a try. I'll let you guys know how it went. Thanks