Motoconchisto - When all else fails.....

For the most part the guys operating the motoconchos are guys you can depend on when in a pinch.

On my way back to the airport I made a stop and upon returning to the car the rental won't start. I checked under the hood and there was a loose battery connection which would prevent the battery from being charged. I did what I could to no avail. I know the chances of flagging someone down with jumper cables is nill.

I flagged down a motoconchisto and explained the problem in the worse spanish imaginable. The gentleman knew what he needed to do to help me out. He holds up five fingers to let me know he will be back in five minutes.

I have a few options. I can wait for him to return, if he ever does. I can call the rental company and wait for them which would surely make me miss my flight. My final option is to abandon the car and take a cab to the airport. I flag down a cab and he quotes me $RD 250 to the airport. I know that is more than the going rate but I don't care. I put my last piece of luggage in the cab and the motoconchisto pulls up carrying a spare battery. I unload my luggage and ask the cabbie to wait a few minutes to make sure they can get the car started.

The crew of auto repair specialists went to work. First they remove the battery. The battery they have is too large to fit in the battery well and the cables are too short to reach the terminals of the battery. Oh boy..........

No problem for Dominicanos. They connected one of the terminals. The other terminal one guy grabbed tightly with a pair of pliers. Another took the metal part of a hammer to touch the battery terminal with the pliers to complete an electrical connection. I am watching this whole fiasco and never once doubted what they where doing. I knew if anyone could get the car started these are the guys.

I get in the car, turn the key and Bingo........... car starts

They put the old battery back in. Clean the terminals, make a few adjustments and after a nice deserved propina I am on my way.

Dominicanos may have some strange ways of getting things done but in the end things always seem to work.........

Read the writing on the back of one of the onlookers shirt........

Hillbilly said:

Typical of this country....

Way to go!! Good for you and great for them!!! Kinda make you want to weep in thankfulness for living here...

Hb

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drloca said:

Nice story...thanks for sharing...and assume you made your flight too!

I will give credit where credit is due...for the most part, Dominicans can in many instances create something from nothing, so to speak.

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Yes, I made it to the airport with time to spare.

When the motoconchisto pulled up with this huge battery I was thinking what are they going to do with that. I looked to see who had the jumper cables and saw none. It was quite interesting to see them go to work. When the battery would not fit the fellow with the blue shirt stepped in, said a few words in spanish and they continued to work as if performing brain surgery.

Sure all I needed was a basic jump start but to see them get me started without "proper americano norte equipment" was awesome. This was not my first and will not be my last time requesting assistance from a motoconchisto. They know the lay of the land and all they are looking for is to make a few pesos.

I will make it my business to find these gentlemen next trip down to say thanks again. They didn't have to do what they did.............