for dinner. Locals rolled out of the bar
and into their cars incredibly drunk
and intent of creating as much dust
and smoke on their departure. I had
to admit that I was very pleased I was
not alone at this point.
It was dark as we headed into the
town to find the keys for the apart-
ment. A few vodkas under our belts
and a few wrong turns later, we found
it and the bikes were taken to a secure
parking lot for the night. Something I
was happy about it given the less than
safe vibe in the town.
The town, Tulun, reminded me of
images that we are more used to see-
ing on the TV of ‘Russia’. Cold, bleak
and run down with little colour or
modernity. This image is something
that represents a good portion of how
people in Russia do live, but as I had
discovered, it is not the whole picture.
The following day our mission was
to do a loop up to the Island of Olk-
horn, situated in Lake Biakal. Unfor-
tunately, after many kilometres under
his belt and chasing after much more
powerful bikes for two days, my bikes
chain and sprockets were a bit worse
for wear. The guys performed some
roadside surgery and made some calls
to find parts in Irkutsk without much
luck.
Stopping to regroup outside of the
TRAVERSE 30
city, out of nowhere we were joined
by a couple of local riders. A quick
exchange and it was offered that they
would lead us to the best chance of
finding the parts we needed. They
were right and in no time, we had
parts in hand and headed around the
back of the shop to the local mechan-
ic.
He was more than happy to help but
was closing for the weekend to attend
his sister’s wedding. It looked like my
trip with the Russian gang would end
here. Being on a long-term trip I have
made peace with the fact that there
will be times that repairs will stop you
in your tracks, always when you least