A Texan in Tibet - Fill 'er Up, Please!

"I'm stranded all alone in the gas station of love, and I have to use the self service pump."
- Weird Al Yankovic

When I rode to Maine in 2014, I made it my mission to ride through all the small states along the eastern seaboard as part of my attempt to knock out the remainder of US states to which I had yet to ride my Harley. When I got to New Jersey, I learned that drivers weren't allowed to pump their own gas at fuel stations. Being on a bike, I was allowed to hold the fuel nozzle, but the buttons had to be pushed and the pump started by a qualified professional...probably some union guy. I'm told this was also true in Oregon until 2023. Either way, I've never seen that before or since. Where else in the world would I find such backward fuel station policies? Welcome to China!

Gomer & Goober Pyle - "Check your oil, sir?"

Tibet has apparently one-upped new Jersey. In Tibet, automobile drivers can't pump their own fuel, but at least they can drive up to the pumps, where an attendant completes the task. Motorcycles can't even drive up to the pumps in Tibet. I'll have to park at the outer edge of the parking lot in a safe zone, where an attendant will check my papers against our official guide's list, record my rental bike license plate and odometer reading, compare them to the data collected at my previous fuel purchase, verify that I am allowed to purchase fuel, and then tell me what the rate per liter will be. I smell a shakedown.

"Safety Zone" Fuel Dump

 

 

But wait because it gets even better. After the purchase qualification formalities are completed and the Chinese crawl back out of my ass with their microscope, I will have to be escorted on foot over to the pump where the attendant will fill a fuel can for me to carry back to the safety zone to manually pour into my fuel tank, and then pay God-only-knows how much for the privilege. My Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle is said to hold 3.96 gallons. I just hope they let me carry enough to fill my tank in one trip!