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to return in the morning as advised and looked for another mechanic closer to Kohalpur.
There it was, one by the roadside, displaying evidence they worked on many of the brands we knew, Suzuki, Honda, Royal Enfield, it even looked professional. The workshop was more a storeroom with parts of all makes, the place where the work took place was the front courtyard, amongst the weather, the dust, the onlookers.
As we pulled up the manager approached and told us to wait, he needed to take his wife home. Upon return he quickly told his team to work on our bikes, we were foreign travellers and much more important that the customers already waiting. To be fair the customers didn’ t seem to mind having to wait another hour. The mechanics got to work immediately and professionally despite the conditions we weren’ t used to.
In the later afternoon mid-thirties degree heat the bar adjacent to the mechanical workshop was heaven sent. The proprietor quickly got us a coldish beer, and then proceeded to phone call people with what I assumed to be,“ you should see what is drinking at my place”.
Well before the beers were finished the mechanics had completed the work on my bike, brand new seal, brand new oil, and all for one thousand rupees, around twelve Australian dollars. I couldn’ t believe how quick it had been and promptly handed over two thousand
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