making friends at a Pemex gas station
February 22, 2020Part of travel on the road for many miles is seeing new places experience new cultures and learning how to adapt when things go sideways. Some times your limited with resources and need to rely on others for help. This is our story and I am sure more will come.
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
―
As we are driving on the toll road going east through the middle of Mexico, we needed to get some fuel. So we decided to get off the main highway to the small town of Tecamachalco to get diesel at a Pemex gas station. We filled up and parked and had very delicious tacos from a street vendor. When we returned the LuvShk, I noticed a lot of grease and splatter on one of the front wheels. Cliff right away assessed the situation. A broken wheel bearing! That is not good. Thank goodness we were not driving any longer. So here we are parked on a gas station in a small town finding parts. While I was staying back with the puppies, Cliff fetched a taxi to find a parts store or mechanic. The taxi driver drove him to all the parts stores ( 2 in total) until they found one who could order a new bearing from Puebla, which will take about one to two days or so to come here.
The friendly people of Tecamachalco
Sometimes it’s those little unexpected things in life that can make a big difference to us. Embrace and welcome the unexpected.
Nishan Panwar
So as we reflect on this situation inside the LuvShk on this Pemex parking lot there was a knock on the door. Enrique and his brother Emilio the owners of this gas station checking in to see if we are ok. We explained our situation and ask if it would be ok to stay here ( we really did not have any other choice as we are not moving anywhere). The brothers smiled and said we can stay as long as we need too and there will be security on site all night as this town has some issues with the cartel. But both said not to worry and he and his brother will take good care of us. They also offer any help we needed. We told them we will be doing some mechanical work and that was just fine with them. We invited them inside the LuvShk and had a great visit.
The following day our parts came and Cliff installed the new bearing with the watchful eyes of the brothers. I think the three of them bonded. By late afternoon the LuvShk was ready to roll but the two brothers insisted for us to stay another night and to use the police escort the next morning to get back to the toll highway. So we stayed. The two brothers also handed us a gift card for a tank of fuel with big smiles and wished us great travels. No matter where you are people have big hearts.
The brothers Enrique and Emilio owner of the Pemex Gas station
exploring the town
Getting to see new places, their culture, and getting away from what I am used to is so rewarding.
As we had one more night, we decided to explore this vibrant town of Tecamachalco. In the evening, the streets came alive, markets and restaurants were full of people and the smells where fantastic. We grabbed street food and ice cream and enjoyed the hustle and bustle around us. After a couple of days dealing with mechanical issues, it was nice to look around and find out that we have discovered a place which was not part of our plans but is part of our memory now and the best part is we got not just a new bearing, but we also made some new friends.
Police and military escort to the toll road
As we left early the next morning with a police escort, we felt so lucky to be able to visit the town of Tecamachalco and its people. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
What a great story!