Chernobyl: a day trip

A mid-2000s snapshot. It wasn’t every trip abroad you had the chance to visit the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, was it? The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is only about a two-hour ride north of Kyiv. Many tourist offices in conjunction with a government agency offered a day trip to the region, wisely deciding that the market for overnight stays was not great. A Russian-speaking driver would pick you up at 09:00 in a Russian Lada car - maybe you’d even listen to Russian music while motoring through the countryside. They also shrewdly advised that the absence of roadside cafes made both water and fruit good things to bring along with you, although lunch was provided. Once you actually entered the contaminated zone, you’d be joined by your English-speaking guide, who would show you the fateful reactor N°4 from a safe distance. You’d also visit the nearby ghost town of Pripyat - where some apartments still bore witness to the haste in which 47,500 residents were made to leave their homes - and have a chance to converse with residents of surrounding villages. A trip to the acres of fields filled with contaminated vehicles, helicopters, etc. used in the cleanup was optional. Comfortingly, you’d be accompanied on your return trip to Kyiv by the same friendly driver, bringing your 10-hour journey to environmental hell and back to a close. And in case you’re wondering: yes, your body received above-average doses of radiation, but the effects, as guides said then, were harmless...

In case the above statement does not convince you completely, you could nevertheless satisfy your curiosity in an absolutely safe way by visiting the National Chornobyl Museum.