Day 2 - Ukraine

November 22 -

This was one of the important days. The day that necessitated sneaking everything on the plane as carry-on for fear of missing my short connection in Warsaw to Kiev. I took part in a day trip to Chernobyl. Having stumbled across the tour years ago, over time, subsequent searches brought up photo albums of other people's day trips and my interest in taking the tour grew exponentially over time. The exposure to radiation was minimal (about one transatlantic flight, I was told) and I definitely armed myself with all the pertinent information. Finally convinced I would be okay, I looked forward to the tour and certainly wasn't disappointed.

I arrived at Independence Square with my passport (required) and waited, watching my fellow travelers trickle in. Grabbing a quick breakfast of blini at the McDonald's nearby, I was ready for the day. I also purchased kitten pies, but made an embarrassing mistake. I'm so used to asking "сколько" ("how much?"), but became visibly confused when the tables were turned and I was asked the question. Turns out, the pies were sold by the pound. The woman behind the counter was inquiring how many I wanted by the pound. Anyway. The ride to Chernobyl was quicker than stated in the tour information, our driver navigated the roads like a maniac. A good part of the main city streets in Kiev are cobblestone, which made for an interesting and bumpy ride. The villages we passed looked like some of the poorest in Ukraine.

The fast and crazy driving cut our arrival time down by at least a good half hour. We reached the Dytyatky checkpoint, on the southern end of the exclusion zone, and donned the face masks we were given prior to leaving. We were visiting a nuclear wasteland, yet had to abide by the rules regarding the H1N1 scare the Ukraine was currently in the grips of. No photos were to be taken of the guards, and only a certain vantage point of the power plant. Otherwise, we were home free to click away.

After a briefing at the Interinform building and signing a document absolving the Ukrainian government of all responsibility, we were off on our guided tour. I think the photos speak for themselves, but I had many different reactions to what was before me, the biggest of which was of profound loss and desolation. To see all the abandoned homes, and to learn the residents were fooled into believing they would eventually return after a few days was something I couldn't get my head around. Let me tell you, it was one of the most amazing and surreal tours I have taken to date.

Another thing that struck me was how much Chernobyl is frozen in time. Communist slogans dot the town, and for this Cold War baby, it was fascinating to see a slice of history before me, as abandoned as the ideals it once taught the masses.

My only real fear was when we were given 20 minutes to roam inside the grammar school and I got lost. I'm not a believer in ghosts or monsters, but your mind will definitely play tricks when you're all alone in an abandoned school, especially in an abandoned town. I was more frightened of the possibility of rabid wolves entering the school, which apparently are now in the zone. I was ecstatic when I was rescued by Yuri, our fearless guide. In hindsight, if I could do it again, I'd have done the two day sleep over tour they also offer, instead of a day trip. Chernobyl is fast decaying; time is its worst enemy right now. Perhaps, I will get to visit again some other time.

One of the perks of the tour is the huge dinner they serve the group. My first full nutritious meal on Ukrainian soil, but I picked away at my food. I keep pretty much vegetarian when traveling, to avoid stomach problems, but almost all of it was meat or some fish I couldn't identify. Clearly, for all my love of the former Soviet Union, Russian food is definitely not one of them. We were driven back to the checkpoint to the contamination center and checked for radiation levels. It was bit nerve racking as with my luck, I was worried about experiencing a Silkwood moment, but we were all declared radiation free.

I dozed off on the ride back to Kiev, but not before chatting away with some of my tour mates. A few us joked that although most of us were suffering some form of fatigue or jet lag, we would subconsciously attribute it to any residual effects of being in Chernobyl. I had to laugh because I had a huge jet lag headache and my thoughts began to wander and wait for a bloody nose and bleeding gums (a sign of radiation sickness).