As you can tell by the huge reactor behind me, the beeping Geiger counters
this time we're in Chernobyl
It's an early 7:30 a.m. start for the two-hour scenic drive to the checkpoint
of the exclusion zone at Chernobyl. You can't visit the area on your own and you
need to book one of the many tours. We chose Chernobyl-tours.com the tickets
were 150 US dollars each but this included all transport, entry paperwork
lunch and the Geiger counter.
At the checkpoint we had to wait for around 30 minutes whilst all the
paperwork and people's passports were checked before we could enter. It's a
busy time with lots of tours converging at the same time. There is a tourist stall
your only chance to get last-minute water, snacks and any trinkets to take home.
Watch to the end of this video to see our tips on how to make your trip
better and details on the toilets!!
Once all the checks are done we were back on
the coach and heading to our first abandoned town ZALISSYA.
ZALISSYA is the first village within the exclusion zone to be totally abandoned in May 1986.
The 3,000 inhabitants were slow to leave as they were initially unaware of the
unfolding disaster just 25 kilometers away.
The thriving village had a supermarket, Palace of Culture as well as a hospital
and school.
Hidden in plain sight and marked as a children's camp or Chernobyl 2 on the
map our next stop was the DUGA radar system
DUGA was designed to detect ballistic missiles from the US. At a high of 150
meters and 500 meters long the scale is hard to comprehend.
Two were in operation, this one near Chernobyl and a second in Siberia.
Just a few miles south of the power plant is KOPACHI a heavily contaminated
area during disaster.
We visited the kindergarten and War Memorial
The radiation levels are relatively high here compared to other areas within the zone.
We were able to find many hot spots with our Geiger counters but couldn't stay long.
The tour now takes us as close as possible to block 4 the reactor that
exploded on the night of the 26th of April 1986
The new safe confinement sarcophagus is now in place and can be seen from the city of prypiat.
Our guide had amazing knowledge of the disaster and was very engaging.
The memorial stands to those that lost there lives in the initial explosion and fire.
Our radiation levels were monitored and checked three times during our trip.
Lunch was provided in the Soviet style workers canteen, still used by those
decommissioning the power plant today.
Prypiat was once the main city which housed the workers from the nuclear
power plant, now a ghost town returned to nature
45,000 people were evacuated on the afternoon of 27th April 1986 and no one has ever returned.
The amusement park in Prypiat has one of the most iconic locations within the city.
It was just being set up, ready to open
for the May Day celebrations in the city.
As a distraction the fairground opened
briefly on the morning of 27th of April, just before the notice to evacuate was
given. Shocking now that we know the severity of the disaster and the levels
of radiation already in the area that morning.
Radiation levels around the park differ, contamination was cleaned up by Liquidators following the disaster.
Concreted areas are relatively safe but one particular hot spot on the
underside of the ferris wheel capsule can be found to emit some of the highest
levels of radiation in the whole of Prypiat.
The main square with the hotel and Palace of Culture as well as the
supermarket and larger tower blocks are the main areas to explore.
Prypiat was a model Soviet city enjoying facilities that other towns in the Soviet Union never had.
The residents enjoyed a relatively high standard of living with
a supermarket, restaurant, sports facilities and landscape gardens.
It was a desirable place to live, our guide showed us pictures as we
walked around explaining how day-to-day life played out in the town.
Pripyat had a football team and the Avanhard Stadium played host to many games.
The football pitch looks more like a forest now.
Our final stop before returning to Kiev was Chernobyl, (the actual town).
It is where the workers decommissioning the power plant live when they are within the zone,
and where tourists stay if they are on multi-day tours.
Outside the fire station is a memorial to "Those that save the world"
It commemorates those first responders who died following the heroic actions to
prevent their already terrible nuclear accident from becoming a full-scale
international disaster.
That was a wrap for our day trip to the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Here are a few tips to get the most out of your visit.
If you enjoyed our video please like and subscribe. Until next time happy travels
from the memoryseekers.
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