Partly inspired by Jack Whitehall but mainly driven by my perverse desire to test the limits of my luck/mortality, I visited Chernobyl. Yes - the radioactive nuclear meltdown place where it’s still inhabitable for humans. I like to keep things interesting!
There were 3 distinct and scary parts to this trip. In ascending (and co-incidentally chronological) order:
- The drive to Stansted as I was putting a significant amount of trust in a, frankly quite dodgy, Fiat 500. 2 weeks previously its engine had cut out in the middle lane of the M1, the first attempt to fix it wasn’t successful, and I’d got it back from the garage after attempt #2 the previous day. Whatever wizardry the mechanic did had worked, and my little car got me there in one piece.
- The taxi ride from Kiev airport to my hotel as I was being driven by one of the scariest individuals I’d ever encountered in a car less likely to pass its MoT than mine, and this bloke wasn’t wasting valuable fuel to heat his car and de-mist the windscreen. Also, his route of choice included several U-turns into oncoming traffic - Uber screenshot available to anyone calling bullshit. I had several questions, mainly: “good sir, I must probe your disregard of the Highway Code and ponder if this is because you believe others are in pursuit of your vehicle?” which, in the heat of the moment, came out more like “you’re driving like we’re being chased, you big mad bastard!”. He turned to face me, stared me in the eye (please bear in mind he’s driving and I’m in the back seat) and menacingly whispered “you do not know that they are not”. I’ve got no idea who “they” are, or what his diagnosis is, but I know I’d love a rummage through his psych records.
- The blasé attitude of Ukrainians to radiation, or rather health and safety in general. I did some research before coming here (I.e. watching Jack Whitehall and David Farrier doing similar) and knew that a dosimeter reading of >0.2 or wasn’t normal. My Geiger counter was bleeping frantically when the radiation level reached 0.3, so my guide re-set the alarm threshold to 5.0. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but I knew how I felt when the count went to 415.0: mildly concerned.
Leading on from point 3, this trip I learned that the Chernobyl disaster extended far beyond the initial explosion; the subsequent management of it was equally as catastrophic. It took 36 hours for any type of local exclusion zone to be put in place, and the accident only became internationally known of because the radioactive fallout was detected in Sweden - 2 days later. Even then, the Soviet government denied responsibility.
Walking through this abandoned area on a bitterly cold snowy day was darkly mesmerising. Pripyat (a purpose built city for the employees of the power plant and their families, just 3km from the explosion) had been re-claimed by nature in just 32 years. I saw different buildings: apartments, hospitals, supermarkets, schools. Each area was destroyed enough to feel surreal and disconnected, but most also had remnants which brought the reality of the abandonment back: dolls left in a nursery, full shopping trolleys in aisles, patient’s medical notes, a gas mask. There was even a fairground which had never been used - it was due to open 3 days after the evacuation.
It was magical in a way I can’t describe. I can’t recommend visiting enough, especially before the area becomes more touristy and looses its spooky silence. I came home with the same number of digits/appendages as I left with, and no green glow. I’m sure it’s perfectly safe!
Love Emily x
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