At 1:23am on 26th April 1986, an explosion at the number 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant blew the roof open and sent a cloud of radioactive dust into the sky.
In recent times, agencies set about leading trips to the area in the region of Chernobyl. The full day tours set out from Kiev somewhere around 9am and these have to be booked in advance. Details of people on the trip need to be submitted and you have got to take your passport. If you are not on the list or you don't have your passports, the guards at the edge of the exclusion zone will not let you through as two people on our bus found to their dismay and had to disembark the bus. The checkpoint is just about 78km (49 miles) from Kiev and there is absolutely nothing to do there. From here the bus makes its way into the exclusion zone and doesn't return for several hours.
At the time of the catastrophe, Chernobyl was home to 14,000 people and today, a few hundred people still live in the exclusion zone and many people work in the town for around 4 days a week. The visit commenced in Chernobyl for a traditional Ukraine lunch. First stop is the fire station where there is a monument to the brave fireman who struggled to contain the radiation a lot of of whom died of radiation sickness.
Next stop is the Chernobyl power plant and it is here you have your first look of the disused structures. There are a handful of stops in and around the plant and you get to within two or three hundred metres of the reactor. Nowadays, it is tough to envision what occurred here but the guides Geiger counter leaves you under no illusions that there is still a large amount of background radiation in the area.
The last stop is at the ghost town of Pripyat which is situated no more than a couple of miles from the power plant. At the time of the catastrophe it was a much bigger city than Chernobyl with a population of approximately 50,000. Yet, authorities evacuated the populace with no warning and it is an eerie place to take in. Books lie all over the class rooms, the fun fair which was due to be opened on 1st May 1986, is gradually rusting away and nature has started to over grow the roads, town square and buildings.
The excursion leaves Pripyat and returns to the edge of the exclusion zone where everyone must pass through a scanner to make certain they haven't been exposed to abnormal quantities of radiation. Once everyone is back on the bus has been given the all clear, it travels back to Kiev.
In recent times, agencies set about leading trips to the area in the region of Chernobyl. The full day tours set out from Kiev somewhere around 9am and these have to be booked in advance. Details of people on the trip need to be submitted and you have got to take your passport. If you are not on the list or you don't have your passports, the guards at the edge of the exclusion zone will not let you through as two people on our bus found to their dismay and had to disembark the bus. The checkpoint is just about 78km (49 miles) from Kiev and there is absolutely nothing to do there. From here the bus makes its way into the exclusion zone and doesn't return for several hours.
At the time of the catastrophe, Chernobyl was home to 14,000 people and today, a few hundred people still live in the exclusion zone and many people work in the town for around 4 days a week. The visit commenced in Chernobyl for a traditional Ukraine lunch. First stop is the fire station where there is a monument to the brave fireman who struggled to contain the radiation a lot of of whom died of radiation sickness.
Next stop is the Chernobyl power plant and it is here you have your first look of the disused structures. There are a handful of stops in and around the plant and you get to within two or three hundred metres of the reactor. Nowadays, it is tough to envision what occurred here but the guides Geiger counter leaves you under no illusions that there is still a large amount of background radiation in the area.
The last stop is at the ghost town of Pripyat which is situated no more than a couple of miles from the power plant. At the time of the catastrophe it was a much bigger city than Chernobyl with a population of approximately 50,000. Yet, authorities evacuated the populace with no warning and it is an eerie place to take in. Books lie all over the class rooms, the fun fair which was due to be opened on 1st May 1986, is gradually rusting away and nature has started to over grow the roads, town square and buildings.
The excursion leaves Pripyat and returns to the edge of the exclusion zone where everyone must pass through a scanner to make certain they haven't been exposed to abnormal quantities of radiation. Once everyone is back on the bus has been given the all clear, it travels back to Kiev.
About the Author:
Kiev is one of the host cities for the Euro 2012 Championships. Visitors to Kiev may want to consider a excursion out to Chernobyl.
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