RUST magazine: Rust#15

must (while in the safety of your tent) spray every potentially
exposed body part prior to squat! Riding a motorcycle with
itchy bits is not safe riding.
Kiwi mechanics
At one such camp there were still banks of snow and ice
which when kicked shattered into stunning crystals as I’ve
never seen before. At the same camp the big Kamaz had arrived
with the tail-lift out of action. We had to unload all the
gear via a side door for the night’s camp. No tail lift meant that
bikes couldn’t be loaded on if needed and rear access was
impossible for any gear. The Kiwis decided to take a look,
finding a blown fuse leading to discovery of a crushed wire to
the hydraulic pump. This is a big truck to be dropping in and
out of these steep scoured river banks and the ‘tail lift accessory’
was exposed to much heavy grounding. As dinner was
being prepared we beavered away and then switched it all
back into life to huge cheers from the campfire. Sanych’s eyes
lit up and the ‘world explorers’ were invited for celebratory
shots of vodka. While still sober we all headed off to the
water’s edge for target practise (read: big shoot up) with
AK47s and the like. If there were any bears in the woods they
would certainly be gone for the night. Suddenly it seemed the
Kiwis had passed their apprenticeship for living in this neck of
the woods. Sanych and his Yakut team plied their Kiwi friends
with good spirit all night long (or was it morning?).
After three days camping we were approaching Sanych’s
home, the village of Tomtor (spelled Tomtop). Located right in
the middle of the Old Road, this place is home to 1250 hardy
souls and is extremely isolated with its nearest neighbouring