Now, I've always thought of myself as a fairly independent and resourceful person. But there I was, on a semi-suburban road, with a flat tyre and completely empty pockets. I had a blackberry in one pocket, an iPod touch in the other, and was dressed in the new designer and wearing some funky heels, but my wallet was completely empty. I managed to find several coins in my handbag and headed down to the petrol pump about a half a kilometer down the road, tire flapping and scooter shaking all the way.
When the man at the air station saw me, he sadly shook his head and pointed me around the corner where an entreprising fellow had set up a small tyre-fixing business against the wall of the petrol pump. He efficiently removed my tyre and the tube inside and found the hole, which was really more of a crack resulting from wear and tear, the heat, and the fact that it was two years old and hadn't been replaced since I bought to scooter! He kept asking me to sit down in a plastic chair that magically materialized, but I was content to watch his handywork. When he tested the tube for leaks in a basin of water, two more holes made themselves known, and I resigned myself to buying a new tube.
I have been hardened by purchasing $600 new brakes, hundreds of dollars in insurance, and expensive new tyres in the US, and I was fully expecting to be fleeced. He took out a little package from under his worktable, which contained a new tube he said would work, and showed me the price--Rs. 140, about $3.50. Total price for his half hour of work on the old tyre and replacing the new one--Rs. 20, 50 cents!
While he was working, a called a dear friend to come rescue me from my lack of $4. He showed up on his white horse, er, in his white car, and paid the guy, adding 10 rupees as tip. I rode off into the night with several conclusions:
1) Life in India may be frustrating at times, but it is also infinitely simpler and easier in many respects. Where in the US can you get a mechanic to fix your car, at 8pm on a Sunday night, in half an hour, while you wait, for less than the price of a Diet Coke?
2) Forget independence. In Hyderabad, your strength lies in the people who care about you, and I'm fortunate to have many who wouldn't think twice about coming to my rescue.
3) Do I really trust this tyre? Yes, I think I do. This is how millions of people get their tyres fixed, and they're not worried just because the price was so low!
