Village fuel
 

I am beginning to realise what may have been obvious: many remote villages accessible by cars but far from fuel stations will sell fuel from shops or lock-ups in one or 5-litre bottles, and it won't be dirty, watered-down paraffin. They may have motor oil too.
If it's a lock-up you ring the number on the door.
Everywhere I've found prices a reasonable about 10% more than an Afriquia.
Just ask a local for carburant or essence.

Pic: Z Ahansal 2024

Even had that in Greece in the (distant) past. Bought petrol in village stores from large glass jars after asking around. ‘Asking’ consisted of pointing at the fuel tank and using a hand to indicate the level was low.

It's the general rule almost anywhere in the non-industrialized world; wherever there are engines, there is fuel for sale if you can find it.

I admit it took me a long time to realize this. When I noticed that the ubiquitous Chinese motorbikes found throughout Asia, Africa and South America have tiny fuel capacities--totally insufficient to carry them from one official filling station to the next--I started paying attention. Their owners don't want bad fuel any more than I do, and a local seller won't stay in business for long if they can't keep their stock fresh and clean. At least, that's my theory, and it hasn't served me poorly yet.

Furthermore, price markups are almost always minimal, even where the fuel itself has been smuggled across international borders or carried long distances from population centers. If a seller charges too much, competition arrives with some empty liquor bottles, cloth filters, a funnel, and maybe a plastic chair to sit on and umbrella to keep off the sun.

On a bike it's easy; per #2, you point at your tank or filler cap, make pouring motions or indicate empty-full levels, and gesture up and down the street with palm up to ask where. Locations are not always obvious, and it's usually clear to me that I've been passing sellers constantly while fretting about my empty tank and what I'll have to do if I run out of gas. Even in very remote spots like the Andean altiplano, if you can find human habitation there's generally fuel nearby.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but the only ones I've run into so far are controlled economies like Cuba, or rule-of-law countries like Western Europe, Japan, and my own homeland.

Don't know if that's helpful, but I've had too much coffee and am immobilized by recent surgery. The combination apparently makes me very wordy.

Mark

Yes on fuel in the Americas too. Mexico and especially Baja is full of fuel from bottles, cans and buckets. Same for South America, especially in Patagonia. In '88 Peru, I raced in the Inca Rally. On a KTM with 9gals between 3 tanks I ran out. In a village everyone came out with jars, bottles and coffee pots to give me gas. Okay so the petcoks were not hooked up right and pumped out the vent tubes. Hey I was an amateur trying to survive!!!
Hi Chris
Allen.

I have actually purchased more fuel in coca-cola plastic bottles, than I have cola! :rofl: