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How to earn a good meal

1. Read info about a certain hill station written by a travel enthusiast. Take particular note of a eatery that you would like to visit.

2. During the stay at the hill station keep hopping about and going on and on about the restaurant to unsuspecting friends.

3. Make a plan to finish site seeing and lunch at the said restaurant.

4. Spend the morning taking in the scenary on foot and decide to take cycles to commute to the restaurant (thank god for that)

5. Clumsily handle the bicycle which shows no signs of breaks along the first road going down hill.
6. Huff and puff, literally, and give up attempts at self mortification by simply walking uphill towing bicycle along.

7. Hurriedly sit on the seat and try not to grin as speed picks up due to sheer gravitational force of the road sliding down.

8. After initial excitement, think of real purpose of the journey. The restaurant and its whereabouts.

9. Meet with blank stares from people on the road when asked directions.

10. Try hard not to lose focus and positive attitude. Pedal some more to what seemed to be the road where one presumes the restaurant is situated (downhill all the way)

11. Unfortunately due to undulations on roads (read curving roads made on hilltops) and simple joy of trying to hold on to the breaks and not ram into people, miss the names of eateries and er...just about anything at all.

12. Doggedly move on, alternatively walking and peddaling, and try hard not to focus too much on the hunger or friends' grimaces (actually smiles coming out as grimaces).

13. Make last ditch efforts to atleast get back to civilisation, ignoring smirks and smiles of passer-bys, who atleast are kind enough to show the easy way back - roads with lower degree of inclination.

14. Make it to square number one, weary to the bone and sweating profusely in the cold.

15. Find the first decent restuarant and stumble in before lunch time ends. And wait in surprise as you are taken in like little children who havent eaten in a very long while. Get second and third helpings unasked. Given lots of attention and care much to the chagrin of members of neighboring tables. Finally, sit back with a smile and a look of pure contentment.

A bad plan and lots of physical work can lead to a very good meal sometime. In some illogical way, perhaps we had earned it.

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