Chernobyl trip 06/05/19

[ian531]

Hi

It's taken me ages to get round to this, sorry

Part of the reason for the trip to Kiev was the tour of the Chernobyl region

We set off early morning for the 2 hour drive to the first exclusion zone (30k from the reactor) where we were all given a dosimeter to wear before entering the zone, some people on the trip hired a type of Geiger counter from the trip organisers

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Our first stop was to an abandoned village in the 30k exclusion zone

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

This was the village shop
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

and, the local Goverment building
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The more we walked around I got the feeling that some things have been positioned to enhance the photographs
, don't know if that's true but it is the small things that make some of the photos
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

This was the reading in the village and we were shown a video of the reading in Kiev which showed the same figure
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

This is the road sign as you enter the Chernobyl region
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

This is a statue that is supposed to show Wormwood who in the bible is the 3rd angel that comes to earth causing pollution of a 3rd of the Earths water. The guide said the the word Wormwood in Russian is - Chernobyl
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The names on the signpost below all the way into the distance show the name of each village that was evacuated
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The check point in to the 10k exclusion zone
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The next stop was a kindergarten, we had strict instruction not to walk on the soil here. All the buildings were 'washed' by thousands of soldiers as part of the clean up therefore, a lot of the buildings are 'safe', although some are not structurally. However, the soil is highly contaminated

You can see the increase in the reading, this was followed by the alarm beeping on the divices
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Again, its the small things that make the photos
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Our next stop was to see the sarcophagus that covers the reactor
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

I thought this was as close as we would get - I was wrong

We stopped 100m from the sarcophagus and therefore 200m from the destroyed reactor

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Near to here was the start of the 'Red Forest' which is still a highly radioactive area - the pictures are not the same without all the alarms beeping warning of the danger
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Next is the city of Pripyat, once a city of 50,000 people
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The local Goverment building and the headquarters of the immediate clean up
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The first supermarket in the Soviet Union
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

You can still see the signs showing the different departments
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Some graffiti artists have been allowed into the zone
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Next top was the theatre which has banners that were to be used in the May Day parades
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

And then the famous never to be opened fun fair
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Amazingly, a family were sat on the roundabout taking selfies! I decided to video the moving carriage, it was only after I realised you can hear the family laughing in the background - very creepy


Link to the video
www.flickr.com/photos/136335878@N02/47937330998/in/album-72157708764475662/

The very famous Ferris Wheel, which is very toxic
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Next was the athletics field and grandstand, which felt like walking trough a forest
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

We were then allowed to enter one of the tower blocks
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The post boxes
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

A list of the residents
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The view across Pripyat
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The Duga Radar Array in the distance
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Note the 'safety' barrier
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

The Pripyat Cafe, next to the Pripyat River
Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

We then moved on to the Duga Radar Array site - this was top secret before the explosion and powered by the reactor
The radar itself is 150m high and 700m long, its hard to photograph something so big when you are so close

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

Chernobyl & Pripyat Tour by ian531531, on Flickr

It was then a 2 hour drive back to Kiev in crazy rush hour traffic

As usual loads more on my Flickr page
www.flickr.com/photos/136335878@N02/albums/72157708764475662

Ian

[stemai]

Brilliant pictures and report would love to do this trip

[ronturner]

Unusual and very interesting. Thanks

[Airbus A346]

Brilliant report and photos Ian. I wish that I had stayed two more days and done the Chernobyl tour.

[ian531]

Hi Martin,

It’s an amazing place, well worth the trip

A friend of mine is going in July, £60 for return flights (from Stansted) and £170 for an apartment in Kiev for 2 nights, split between 4 of them

Makes me want to go back

Ian

[Deleted]

Fascinating stuff, Ian. It's something which has always interested me and I've read a lot about it. With regards to stuff left behind, I believe that once the seriousness of the explosion had been realised, they evacuated people very quickly. I imagine those who worked there would know the danger and be pretty anxious to get ASAP. There are stories that a few people still live nearby -did you see any evidence of this?

[ian531]

Hi Garstonboy

The trip was very good, a fascinating day

We spoke to a guide who’s husband lived in the first village we stopped at. He remembers the evacuation, but it was Party officials and their families who went first. She said he and his parents now all have cancer

The people who moved back were mainly old people who didn’t have any family, the government made sure they had basic amenities and they were given a pension. A few years ago tours would take food in and the guides would check on people, not many people live there now

As I said above, I have hundreds of photos from the day on Flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/136335878@N02/albums/72157708764475662

Ian

[Deleted]

Thanks Ian. The business of the party officials being first on the bus is entirely in keeping with the tradition at the time, of course!
Certainly a fascinating place to visit.