North African Entrepreneurs - The Natural Gas Guy

Our next entrepreneur is another one unique to North Africa.

New buildings here have natural gas lines plumbed right to their kitchens and hot water tanks while older buildings, like ours, rely on refillable natural gas tanks that need to be exchanged every so often.  The tanks are just like the propane tanks we use in Canada for our bbq's but double the size and a fraction of the price.  In our kitchen one of our cupboards holds the tank we use for our stove and every three or months or so we need to get a refill.

Along with the fruit guys and big item pick up guys, the natural gas guys go up and down our street with freshly filled natural gas tanks.  Instead of yelling 'PEACHES' or 'BIKIA,' the NG guys bang their wrenches on the stacks of tanks in the back of their motor trucks or donkey carts.  It makes for a true cacophony of sounds!

I've often questioned the wisdom of repeatedly banging a metal wrench on a metal canister full of a highly combustable gas but I've yet to see any large explosions so I imagine it's mostly harmless.  Of course there is always the first time ...

Due to subsidies,  a refilled tank is only around $3.  We wish our hot water tank was gas as well as our electricity bills are significantly higher than our friends who have gas hot water tanks.

The first time we needed a tank exchanged our doorman exchanged it for us and then proceeded to also change out the old tank for us.  I argued with him that I was very capable to doing it but apparently that is all part of the service.  The final part of the service, after attaching the new tank, was to take a lit match and wave it around the nozzle checking for any leaks.  I'll admit it made me quite nervous to see him wave a lit match around the tank but once again he assured it me it's all part of the service.

Thank you natural gas guys for keeping our stove lit!  

North African Entrepreneurs - Large Item Pickup

Again, not a profession unique to North Africa, but the style is.

With wooden shutters, black out curtains and a constantly running fan our bedroom is cave like, so much so, it's hard to tell when morning has arrived.  Except for the fact that every morning without fail we hear the familiar cries of the large item pickup man.  He rides around on his cart yelling at the top of his lungs, 'BIKIA BIKIA BIKIA BIIIIIKKKKKIIIIIAAAAAA!'

For the first several months I thought he was yelling, 'RIKOLA,' as though he was selling Swiss throat lozenges.  Apparently what he is actually saying is, 'OLD STUFF!'

There are three varieties of big item pickup.  There is the traditional version; the donkey cart,  the newer version; motortruck (picture a motorcycle with a small truck box on the back) and finally, the economical version; the bicycle cart (picture a three wheeled bicycle with a small box on the front).

All three versions do the same thing.  Leave your junk outside the front door of your building and he will pick it up.  If it is valuable junk, like an old computer or broken hot water tank, he will take it for free or even give you a few cents.  If it is junk junk, like discarded branches from a tree or concrete from some home renovations, then you need to pay him a small fee to take it away.  Rest assured whatever they pick up will be reused, recycled or reclaimed in some way, shape or form.