Lost in a Radioactiveland

Waking Up

Although the room wasn’t very comfortable, I did manage to get decent sleep. While the bathroom had a tub, there was no place to mount the shower nozzle. I had to bath as if I was washing myself with a hose. I can't complain. I knew the lodging would be straight of out of 1960 so my expectations were met.

Breakfast

Yuri sat at a different table, but for some reason I ended up sitting near the driver again. This time he was a bit more vocal about how he felt about me.  I sat towards the back of the bus and can't recall saying a single word to him, so I'm surprised he took such offense to my existence. Through the Ukrainian, he asked if I had served in the military. He went on to say that women in the Soviet Union are attracted to men in service because they are brave. I think he was suggesting I was a coward for not having served. Noting he was considerably older than me, I held back my thoughts about what his military service actually enabled. 

Breakfast wasn't much different than other Ukrainian meals we were served. Each table shared a 1.5 bottle liter of water and juice. The meal was served in courses. One of the courses involved an egg, another involved a tasty cinnamon pancake. All in all, not bad.  Before we left, other tourists filled the room. This would be the first time I'd see other 'regular' people. Our crew was consisted mostly of people volunteering for the pripyat organization, so the people within do not really represent the typical visitor. As I looked around to the other tour groups filing in,  I realized how lucky I was I didn't join an ordinary tour. Many of the people who were part of the other tour groups were dressed extremely Gothic or in military fatigues. I got the feeling (partially from listening) those dressed in military fatigues were hard core gamers who wanted to see what a post apocalyptic town would look like.  Some of the guys appeared to be enjoying themselves a bit to much, which I found to be a tad disrespectful. 

 

Checking Out

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel. Checkout was fairly simple and straightforward. We than boarded the bus to continue the tour.

Getting to Town

The places we visited were very spread out, so most of the time we drove from site to site. Throughout the tour is was clear the animals owned the land. We saw so much wildlife. Even wild horses!

Chernobyl Map. Orange boxes identify where photos were taken.

 

Wild horses

Church

En route to an abandoned Church, we crossed an old train line. The train was significant because it connected Chernobyl to either Moscow or Kiev.  I was surprised to see a stop sign in English. At first the guide suggested all stop signs are in English worldwide. I know this isn't true though. In Mexico, the octagon shaped stop signs display 'alto'.

 

American Stop Sign 

 

I have no idea who hung up the mushrooms

 The Church

Our first stop was to one of 2 churches in one of the towns surrounding Chernobyl.  The church is supposed to be vacant, but it's clear people still visit and pay respects to the church. Apparently some active worship was done during the 25th anniversary back in 2011. It's clear people have been here much, much more recently than that though. As I approached the alter Chrome stopped me. He mentioned that for religious purposes, they still respect the rule that no one aside from a priest or church staff go behind the alter curtain. I asked about bug spray before leaving and bus and was told we were out of it. Since it had rained over night I guessed the mosquitoes would be horrible. I was right. After about 5 minutes of being outside there were about 15 mosquito on my arms. Although it was getting pretty hot out, I went back in the bus and put on my jacket. Technically we were supposed to have our arms covered at all times, but the rules of the group aren't very strict. Since I left my luggage at the Kiev luggage locker, all I had was a short sleeve shirt and coat. Many of the others had similar clothing though and put on the coat at the checkpoints. Thankfully, sometime later bug spray was found.

 

Exterior of Church

 

Exterior

 

Alter

 

Entryway

 

Dome 

 

We found bug spray!

Lost in Pripyat!

At the beginning of the tour the tour guides asked if there was any part of the city we had wanted to see. I was clear I wanted to see the amusement park. When we didn't go the day before, I was worried I'd miss it. We hit it on the second day. I'm glad I opted for an overnight trip, because there was a lot to see throughout Chernobyl and Pripyat. Both days were full day hikes, over 12 hours each. So I'm not sure how much would be omitted if I did only a one day tour. 

We spent about 10 minutes walking around the old theme park. There's some argument on line as to if it ever opened. The opening day is widely reported to be a day or two after the disaster, so it's widely reported the rides were never used.  The guides argue that is not the case - the park was open for at least a couple of days prior.  The park was about the size of a carnival you'd find in a large parking lot. While I was getting a picture of the bumper cars, Chrome asked me tapped on my shoulder and said to come with him. I told him just a moment and he politely said 'uh...now'. He let me know the area near the bumper cars is still quite toxic. 

Since the amusement park was the main area I wanted to see I opted to spend a few extra minutes taking some photos. Big mistake. For the next 15-20 minutes I'd literally be lost in the park. I had though the group simply moved on to the next area, so I followed the trail. There were a number of buildings though past the woods surrounding the theme park. I called out for Chrome, only to realize no one could hear me. Looking around at the buildings surrounding me and being along was very eerie and surreal. I knew they'd find me eventually, but the experience was still surreal. A theme park was on one side, a mid rise hotel and numerous other buildings on the other. All were vacant. Creepy.

I though about looking for them in some of the buildings that were past the clearing I had last seen the group at, but I knew that was dangerous. Even taking away the threat of radiation (like the bumper cars, some areas are still very hot), the area is full of danger. Manhole covers aren't always in place, so I could fall 15 feet into the ground. Throughout many of the buildings the floor had caved in. What might appear as a door could be an open elevator with a huge drop, etc., etc. , etc. So wandering around alone is definitely not safe for anyone. I figured going back to where I came was an option, but as I traversed back I realized the way back wasn't as straightforward as I thought. So I opted to stay put at the last place the group saw me, which was the amusement park. For a while I wondered if this was a setup. Let's leave an American in the park and see what happens! Hahaha, the joke is one me!

It took about 20 minutes for the stupid Ukrainian to come looking for me. She said the two girls  said I was with the group much further.

 

World famous Ferris wheel

 

Bumper Cars

 

Fields

After visiting the amusement park we toured some open fields where various vehicles, trains, and other objects had been discarded.  We also visited a couple of the smaller villages that were deserted, just to get an idea of what they were like. I didn't venture far because of what happened in the amusement park. We were told at all times to avoid the stepping in the moss (general rule). The moss and mushrooms can still be toxic. When either is disturbed it can let off dust or the like which can be a problem if inhaled. It's difficult to avoid the stuff, because it's everywhere. 

 

Radioactive moss. Sometimes walking felt like a game of hopscotch!

 

House

Me peeping out of the far right bus window

 

One of the village houses in better shape

Woman Drivers

Throughout the two days we were together the driver allowed others to drive the van. From what I could gather it was difficult to operate, even for those who could drive a manual transmission automobile. I did not get a turn, probably because the driver was an ignorant pig. He'll let a woman drive but not me? What kind of country is this? Just kidding....well, except about the ignorant pig part.

 

If you were curious, they do let woman drive in the Ukraine

Disaster Memorial

Near the hotel was a memorial that stretched through a large park. Signs lined the left and right side of the walkway. Some signs had flowers on top of them, as if someone was trying to keep the memory of whatever it represented alive. I asked Chrome, one of the tour guides I befriended, about the memorial. Each sign represents a colony, town or village that was effectively destroyed by the accident. Realizing the signs represent actual villages and not people struck me hard.

These sorts of signs are common throughout the EU. They indicate when you are entering a town and an indication of a change in the speed limit.  

Saying Goodbye

Having spent the last 36 hours with the group, saying goodbye wasn't easy. The ride back to Kiev would take 2 hours and be as bumpy as the ride was going. Ukrainian roads aren't awful, but they are a far stretch from what I've become accustomed to in America. The bus made two stops, one to an apartment complex where most of the guides and Yuri were staying and another to the bus station in Kiev. Everyone got off except the Ukrainian, me, and the girls I'm pretty certain were lesbians.

The group, outside the Chernobyl Hotel

 

  

(left) Me & Chrome, (right) The Russian (Yuri) and the American (me)

Back to Kiev 

Since I hadn't heard back from the Ukrainian for a couple of days prior to arriving in Kiev I hadn't booked lodging or a return ticket. We had been communicating through Skype and email and my messages indicating the flight time was sent through Skype. She didn't get the information until long after I arrived. Although she didn't say anything at the airport, she had been frustrated that I had not passed my plans on to her earlier. I was a bit skeptical to pass on too many details since I wasn't certain she was part of a scam involving either kidnap & random or organ theft. It seems every friend of mine knows someone who has been scammed by a Russian or Ukrainian woman. We got back to the bus station around 8pm. There was still sunlight - the days are very long out here.

The first thing we had to do was find lodging for our remaining time in Kiev. The Ukrainian was up for spending time in Kiev for a few nights, so my time in the Ukraine was far from over.  She'd be able to spend 2 more nights in Kiev, so I had to find a place for the next 3 days. I also needed to book airfare on to my next country and she needed a train ticket.

We went to the train station to see what tickets were available for her return journey. It appears no one purchases tickets in advance. The line was extremely long. After hopping a couple of lines and mistakenly ending up in the refunds line, we decided it'd be best to purchase tickets online. The mobile site wasn't working though, so our phones were useless. We searched for a coffee shop with WiFi. After some searching at the station I realized my only hope would be McDonald's across the street. McDonald's really has yet to let me down on this trip. I've always been able to get a decent WiFi connection there. We a snack and realized her return options via train were expensive and not very flexible. A flight to a nearby city to her home (2 hours away from where she lived) worked best. It also meant she could spend a third night in Kiev since the flight wasn't a 17 hour affair like the train was.  I found a place for the first two nights figuring I'd extend the reservation for a 3rd if it was nice. When booking I opted for the more expensive junior suite, just to have a couch and extra space.

Shortly thereafter the Ukrainian used her telephone cab system to order a cab. Roughly $8 for a cab ride to the hotel, what a deal. The driver was a bit younger than me and nice, until he saw I was with a Ukrainian woman. I think that ticked him off.

 

Checking In 

He couldn't find the hotel and we were directed in circles. Eventually we were dropped off outside a restaurant. I knew something wasn't right, but Google maps said we were close so I figured we could find it on foot. We walked up and around a long hill and eventually found the entrance behind a much larger hotel. The hotel reception was simply two large office desks against a wall. It looked like it was a temporary setup, but the clocks fixed on the wall displaying the time throughout the world suggested otherwise. I asked about water and was told the small bar had bottles for sale. They were tiny Evian bottles. At this point I had not realized the water in the Ukraine is not safe to drink, so I opted not to purchase the water. While we waited for our room to be ready, I noticed a water cooler and filled up our bottles. Score! After about 5 minutes our room was ready. Since we had just gotten back from hiking around the most radioactive place on Earth, I insisted we clean up and change. I took our cloths and put them in a laundry bag - regardless the price, I know they had to be cleaned. I thoroughly washed our shoes, too. At this point I was very glad we left our stuff at the luggage locker in Kiev.

The shower sucked. Like the Chernobyl hotel, the shower was a nozzle attached to the main faucet. This bathroom did offer a mount to put the nozzle into (for a hands free shower) but it wouldn't hold the nozzle. Plus, the mount was only about 3 1/2 feet off the ground. I was left thinking the shower was designed for very short people. It made bathing incredibly difficult. The shower, along with the tiny room, was not a good way to create a first impression.

 

Outside hotel

 

Tiny junior suite

 

Bathroom

Dinner

We walked around town a while eventually finding a bar/restaurant that was open with an outdoor seating area. The menu had English translations, which was a first. Some of the translations were funny. The restaurant had house made sausages, which is what the Ukrainian ordered. The Ukrainian noticed a funny translation in the menu. The menu advertises sausages made using 'the chef's very own technology'. I was surprised she got the humor behind the poor translation.

Tomorrow

It was late after dinner so we head back to the hotel. We had a lot to see in Kiev so the plan was to get up early in the morning to start the day.