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fee , and everyone went on their way .
We didn ’ t get far before the bike died again . This time right outside a mechanic ’ s shop . A crowd quickly grew around us . The problem was diagnosed , and a young boy sent to fetch a new spark plug . Barely tall enough to see over the handlebars he jumped on a scooter and son returned with the plug and a large bottle of soda . The spark plug was fitted and seemed to do the trick . With little language in common we exchanged smiles and shared a cigarette while the soda bottle made the rounds and the guys joked about .
With a long way yet to go we said our goodbyes . It was getting late , and we had given up on trying to reach a town with a hotel ; we would just camp instead . At dusk we were about to look for a suitable spot in the thornbush desert when we came across some bushfires by the side of the road . They were unattended and could easily spread , so we would have to ride on to get a safe distance away .
But Aidan ’ s bike had other ideas . It juddered to a halt and cut out . No amount of fiddling with carb , fuel line or spark plug would convince it to start . By now it was completely dark , and we were in the middle of nowhere . The fires were glowing not far behind us so we couldn ’ t camp right here .
Using one of our luggage straps to tow the bike was looking like our only option when a car with a small open load bed at the back pulled up . Several men piled out , checked the bike over and determined that they couldn ’ t start it either . We asked about a hotel but only got negative head wobbles confirming that there were none nearby . They discussed among themselves and hatched a plan . But with none of them speaking English we were not able to find out what that plan was and just went along with it , relying on our travellers ’ sixth sense that it was safe .
Everyone lent a hand to heave the ailing bike into the back of the truck . The load bed was a little too small and the rear wheel was hanging over the edge , so Aidan and one of the men jumped on to hold it in place . Everyone else got into the front and I followed on my bike . There was no town anywhere near here , so I had no idea where we were going . We stopped outside a big gate and the bike was unloaded .
Someone who spoke English turned up on a scooter to help translate . Then we were all told to wait while they rode off to speak to the manager and see if we could stay in a guest room here . It turned out this was a huge cement factory . The workers lived here with their families and there were medical facilities and a school . The rules in this compound were strict and security was taken seriously . Our situation was unusual , so the right permissions had to be
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