I just got a little scooter about two weeks ago. I was fed up with walking 10 miles a day to work in the monsoon weather. (I know, I just posted a blog about my small carbon footprint, but it was becoming too hard and not practical while doing business here.) It has a 8 litre tank, about 1.5 gallons (teeny). When I got it from the dealership, second hand, they could only spare 3 liters because of the petrol scarcity in the country. I am not sure how it is in other countries, but in America the fuel tank is full when you leave the car lot. But what can I do. No one is getting petrol these days. Lines are five hours long or overnight sometimes and the black market prices are out of control, if you can get it.
Petrol line in KTM
So, knowing all this, I bought the scooter anyway and told myself it is what it is, I was lucky to have it. After three days I used the petrol from the dealership and because no petrol pumps were getting petrol, the new scooter sat in my driveway for one week.
The country is being supplied 25% of its demand at the moment. This is because the Nepal Oil Corporation, which has a monopoly on the petrol supply, is indebted to India and unable to pay them back. So India cuts the supply to the NOC until they can pay back what they owe. The NOC, however, is bankrupt and looking to the Nepali government to bail them out. The government made a payment a few months back and India released a little more petrol into Nepal, but it was just a tease. Basically, the combination of the corruption at NOC and the government over-subsidizing petrol in Nepal has lead us to this nightmare.
Anyways, I talked to my fabric lady who lives across from a small petrol pump in my neighborhood and she said that sometimes in the morning the tankers come and the pump opens for a few hours. I gave her my number and she told me she would call when she sees the tankers coming so I could scoot down
and get in line.
Cars in line overnight
The next morning she called me at 5:30am and I threw on my clothes and drove the ten minutes to the pump (on fumes, I think.) I was about the 100th person when I reached there so I parked the scooter and plopped down to read my National Geographic. It was me amongst all Nepali men with their motorbikes. No woman that I could see, and no scooters. Just blond me with "Panther," my scooty. After one hour the pumps opened and then it was another two hours of waiting. Two lines form- one on one side of the pump for cars and one for motorbikes and scooters. I had to push the bike up the line because I ran out of petrol in line (so embarrassing)!! When it was my turn I asked to "fill 'er up." But the pump was only giving out 5 liters per person, or just over one gallon. I paid $1.50 a liter or $6 per gallon. So not only did I wait in line for three hours at the crack of dawn, but then I couldn't even fill my teeny tank! Can you imagine waiting in line in America and getting just over one gallon of gas for $6? There would be riots.
Now I can say that I have fully integrated into Nepali society. I don't mind waiting in line, I just need to know where to wait in line. Out of all the pumps in the city, only three might be giving fuel in a day. You have to be lucky. I was lucky enough to make a connection with the lady from the fabric shop. It is the one call that I look forward to receiving at 5:30 in the morning!
Everyone is looking for petrol or talking about petrol. It is hard to get black market because the process is so corrupt and saved for the most corrupt government officials. The little man waits in line in the monsoon rains all day for a measly 1 gallon of fuel. Forget about those weekend trips outside the valley to get away and enjoy the mountains. You covet ever drop of fuel these days.
I realize that petrol is getting out of control expensive in the US, but countries around the world have been paying high prices for a long time. And even though it is expensive, Americans still have access to it. In Nepal, you can't get petrol even if you want it. It is a full-blown crisis. Daily life has been effected and people's tensions are rising.
UPDATE: Apparently, all the petrol in the city is not pure. It is being mixed with kerosene, water and oil to stretch it out. You can't get pure petrol anywhere right now. As a result, my engine is breaking down and I have constant problems with the starter and the accelerator. The kerosene is mucking up the system so I had to pay to get a new part. I just bought the thing! So now not only is there is no petrol, but the petrol that is out there is dirty and killing cars, bikes and scooters. What to do? There is no way to get real petrol, so we all use this awful fuel.
Talk about ruining the environment. I know this is all a sign that I should keep walking and drop the scooter. I should take the hint. It is quite a feeling to be in a position to desire petrol. The saying that we are all "dependant on fuel," takes on a whole new meaning for me here. I may not be addicted, but I am constantly searching for the next hit of the "pure" stuff.
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