and so, the plot thickens...
Today I began, what I thought would be, the realativly simple process of selling my motorcycle. I was instructed by my hotel that the best place to start would be the ROT which is a sort of Indian DMV(Department of motor vehicles). I was told that they would help me sort out my paper work in preperation for selling my bike. Its very difficult to sell a motorcycle in a state other than the one you purchased it in. Also, the amount you can sell a bike for in these conditions is considerably less than in the state of origin. I was prepared for this when I went into the nearest ROT. What I was not prepared for was what they told me. After looking over my paperwork for quite some time and not really answering my questions, I was told that everything I had for the bike was a forgery. The insurance, paperwork etc. which was all supposed to be handled by the second hand dealership where I purchased my motorcycle. When I asked them what my options were for selling the motorcycle, they said I had none. I decided that this must be a mistake seeing that when I had first bought the bike, people who saw the paperwork made no comment. So, I walked over to a nearby auto-consultant who gave me the same story, but also some option for handling the situation. They are as follows:
A- I could sell the bike for scrap at a considerably lower price than the nikes worth.
B- I could wait a couple of days to hop on a train with my motorcycle for a 48 ride to Dheli. Then, when in Dheli I could catch the quickest train to Amristar in Punjab. When I reached the city I could go to the police and attempt to explain my situation and hope that they would help me get my money back within a week. Then I could zip back down to Chennia and leave for Bangcok shortly thereafter.
C- Attempt to find a motorcycle dealer who would buy the motorcycle at nearly scrap price, and then transport the motorcycle to Amristar where he would attempt to clear up the paper-mess this situation had created.
I opted for either plan "A" or "C" and spent the rest of the day trying to find someone willing to take the motorcycle back to Punjab or scrap it. Near the late afternoon I had only found one person who willing to buy the motorcycle for a rediculously low price and to be destroyed for parts. I will somewhat grudgingly admit that I've grown attached to my motorcycle and the thought of it being destroyed was hard to bare. Then just before dark I found a small shop willing to try to work out the forged documents. I got more money than if it had been headed to the scrap yard, but a lot less than what I paid for it. The truth is though, I was in a bit of a pickle with this one and lucky to get out the way I did. It turns out that I had driven across India illegally. Had I had trouble with the police at any time, been involved in even a minor accident with another vehicle, I would have either been here for months dealing with the courts/heavy fines, or fleeing the country. Fleeing a country is something I would rather aviod if possible. So, in the end, I got dupped by a motorcycle salesman, but its over, so hopefully the new owner will have better luck with the situation than I did .
Now that my motorcycle travels have ended I feel I can be completely upfront about the driving dangers in India. I will post them over the coming weeks as neglected stories. In these posts I will talk about the heavy opium, and alcohol use among truck drivers. I will also touch on the increasing banditry problem in the north of India, and some close calls I had on the road with other drivers.
Yesterday I was sitting in a cafe (they have them here in Kochi) and was appraoched by a group of people asking if I would consider playing a bit part in an Indian film. When I thought about it, I remembered seeing a number of people shooting movie here for the last couple of days. They said it would be a bit part with a little diologue and me playing a security gaurd. I would have said yes, but I would have had to stay two weeks in Kochi to wait for the shooting date. Kochi is a nice city, but not worth two more weeks. It was very flattering though, and put a smile on my face for the day.
Tommarow I head down to Trivadum and then, a couple days after that, the very southern tip of India. I'm kind of glad to be with the trains again. Bye.
A- I could sell the bike for scrap at a considerably lower price than the nikes worth.
B- I could wait a couple of days to hop on a train with my motorcycle for a 48 ride to Dheli. Then, when in Dheli I could catch the quickest train to Amristar in Punjab. When I reached the city I could go to the police and attempt to explain my situation and hope that they would help me get my money back within a week. Then I could zip back down to Chennia and leave for Bangcok shortly thereafter.
C- Attempt to find a motorcycle dealer who would buy the motorcycle at nearly scrap price, and then transport the motorcycle to Amristar where he would attempt to clear up the paper-mess this situation had created.
I opted for either plan "A" or "C" and spent the rest of the day trying to find someone willing to take the motorcycle back to Punjab or scrap it. Near the late afternoon I had only found one person who willing to buy the motorcycle for a rediculously low price and to be destroyed for parts. I will somewhat grudgingly admit that I've grown attached to my motorcycle and the thought of it being destroyed was hard to bare. Then just before dark I found a small shop willing to try to work out the forged documents. I got more money than if it had been headed to the scrap yard, but a lot less than what I paid for it. The truth is though, I was in a bit of a pickle with this one and lucky to get out the way I did. It turns out that I had driven across India illegally. Had I had trouble with the police at any time, been involved in even a minor accident with another vehicle, I would have either been here for months dealing with the courts/heavy fines, or fleeing the country. Fleeing a country is something I would rather aviod if possible. So, in the end, I got dupped by a motorcycle salesman, but its over, so hopefully the new owner will have better luck with the situation than I did .
Now that my motorcycle travels have ended I feel I can be completely upfront about the driving dangers in India. I will post them over the coming weeks as neglected stories. In these posts I will talk about the heavy opium, and alcohol use among truck drivers. I will also touch on the increasing banditry problem in the north of India, and some close calls I had on the road with other drivers.
Yesterday I was sitting in a cafe (they have them here in Kochi) and was appraoched by a group of people asking if I would consider playing a bit part in an Indian film. When I thought about it, I remembered seeing a number of people shooting movie here for the last couple of days. They said it would be a bit part with a little diologue and me playing a security gaurd. I would have said yes, but I would have had to stay two weeks in Kochi to wait for the shooting date. Kochi is a nice city, but not worth two more weeks. It was very flattering though, and put a smile on my face for the day.
Tommarow I head down to Trivadum and then, a couple days after that, the very southern tip of India. I'm kind of glad to be with the trains again. Bye.
posted by Robert at 12/03/2005 07:13:00 AM
2 Comments:
so lets see ur a forigner come to see india, right. well i live in india and telling ya have fun. goa is kewl, kochi good. see shimla, mussuriee......anway kewl blog.
see my blog : www.shysblog.blogspot.com
Your mom can't wait for the hair raising road stories!
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