Around the world in NZ/LH/LX/SA J (and LA/UX/BA/TP/U2/KL Y) - including Chornobyl

[JohnM]

I don't know whether to be amused or depressed....

And I need to apply for a Russian visa in the next few weeks - after just being granted my 5y LOTFAP visa last week after braving the PER LOTFAP consulate (somewhat akin to - and with about the same sense of humour - as border control at LAX ) (no ESTA for me any more, owing to last year's Iran visit).

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

Behind the radar and running all alongside it, is a long building/corridor. The holes in the floor are where equipment housing used to be located:



And scattered behind this long building are the remnants of raided equipment/technology:






Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

Just over half-way along the array is the central control building. This had rooms upon rooms of old equipment racks and below floor conduits, which made walking around it in the dark slightly precarious:





There was also the central control room, looking a lot like a space agency "mission control" room. The main display had been shattered, and the floor was absolutely covered in shards of glass:


In the administration area, there were some soviet military displays and an old rotting piano:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

We exited on to the roof of the control building, it was interesting to see so many trees starting to grow on it:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)


We walked back through Chornobyl-2 town, passing an old brick building with a large chimney:


Someone had positioned some of the abandoned artefacts in the entrance to the town fire station:


The fire station had some interesting displays, including a model of the town:






Some other abandoned buildings had faded murals painted on to them:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

After the early morning in Chornobyl-2 we headed back towards the nuclear power plant. Our first stop here was the abandoned construction site of two cooling towers (which, before the disaster, were to be used for new reactors 5 and 6).

This area had not had received any of the decontamination efforts made elsewhere, and so radiation levels were higher than most places we'd visited.

Another wild dog welcomed us as we got out of the vehicle - in the background you can see the initial work on one of the two cooling towers:



Rather than enter through the main entrance (we got the vibe we weren't 'officially' supposed to be here), we walked down the railway and then cut through the undergrowth in to the construction site.

The railway seemed to be in surprisingly good condition, I'm not sure if it was still used/maintained.


Upon approaching the cooling tower construction site, our guide pointed out a hotspot - a slab (could even have been polystyrene but I wasn't going to touch it!) apparently covering a radioactive core fragment. I measured the highest radiation level we had encountered yet at ~26μSv/h (but still not too worrying as long as you don't hang around):



The cooling tower we approached was huge, and the outer structure must have been close to completion - fascinating to see there is a ladder which goes up the side:



There was some extremely precarious looking scaffolding lining the inner and outer rim of the tower:



Inside, the radiation levels were higher (due to the moss covering the damp floor of the cooling tower):



Some initial parts of the large pipework had already been laid:





One one side, a mural had been painted by an artist in memory of the 30th anniversary of the disaster:



Looking up through the cooling tower:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

When walking back, someone temporarily moved the 'slab' from the hotspot, and measured an even higher reading. Our guide didn't want us to stay there for very long:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

Nearby there was a former radiological laboratory, containing stacks of cages and fish tanks from when the effects of the disaster on wildlife were being observed:



Behind this there was an abandoned 'ZiL' soviet-era fire engine:





These were located close the the nuclear power plant cooling pond, which is gradually being allowed to drain. The hulls of some old boats and pontoons/fish pens are now beached:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

Next we visited the still active Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Canteen No. 19. The canteen is used by the workers who are decommissioning the plant and building the New Safe Confinement.

We were required to pass through a radiation detector/checkpoint at the entrance to the Canteen.

I regret not taking photos of the Canteen - however at the time I think I would have felt awkward taking photos with people in them who are just trying to get on with their day and have a peaceful lunch.

Lunch was substantial and was a set-menu - consisting of a borscht starter, chicken and rice main, a side salad, and a pastry for dessert:


Our guide advised us to save some bread for when we visited the power plant cooling channel later...

 

[amaroo]

Just caught up - very interesting TR.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Some interesting videos I stumbled across last night on YouTube:

This one is of someone climbing all the way to the top of the Duga-1 array - it gives a good feeling for how large it is:

and this is a video from someone exploring the central control building for the array:

Side note: For some reason the name 'Duga-3' has apparently been incorrectly propagated around the internet, the correct name of the array is 'Duga-1'. The confusion is because the original array (built elsewhere) was just called 'Duga' with no numeric suffix.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

After lunch at the canteen, we walked a short distance along an abandoned railway to the construction site of reactors 5 and 6. Construction on these reactors was eventually abandoned after the disaster at reactor 4.






Old, rotting, and collapsed cranes were dotted around, amongst some newer cranes which are working on a salvage/scrap operation:


The lower level(s?) was/were flooded:





Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

We walked back from the Reactor 5 & 6 construction site to a railway bridge crossing the cooling channel next to the power plant. It was here we realised why our guide had told us to keep some bread from lunch. The bridge was a solid in construction, but the base was just railway sleepers with no other floor, so walking across required a bit of concentration to make sure you didn't place a foot down a 'gap'.

In the cooling channel, there were huge catfish. Apparently devoid of any predators, and with all fishing banned within the zone, the catfish just continue to grow throughout their entire lives. The photos show their size in contrast to the other 'normal' sized fish:








Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

We then headed back in to Prypiat for our second visit to the abandoned city - our destination was Lenin Square for the city's "Palace of Culture". This was a centre for the arts/recreation/sports. Most soviet cities had them, and they were often adorned in propaganda.


Lenin Square was also surrounded by other important buildings, such as the Prypiat city administration building, which was re-purposed as a centre for radioactive waste management and decontamination up until 2001:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)


The "Energetik" Palace of Culture building in Prypiat:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

A crumbling mural inside:


Theatre:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)


Old film reels at the Palace of Culture Cinema:


The floor was littered with film:



Cinema - three spare seats available:




Gymnasium:


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)


Looking out from here, the famous Prypiat Ferris Wheel could be seen (guess where we're heading next!):



Hotel Polissia next to the Palace of Culture in Prypiat (as featured in the Call of Duty game):


Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

From the Palace of Culture, we headed towards the 'famous' Prypriat amusement park. The planned opening of the amusement park on the 1st of May 1986 (for the May Day celebrations) never happened, as Prypriat was evacuated on the 27th April.



Street view / photosphere link (not mine)


"Autodrome" bumper cars:





"Chamomile" paratrooper ride:





"Russian Swing" swing boat ride:



The "Circular Overview" Ferris wheel:





The amusement park grounds were used as makeshift landing facilities by the helicopters participating the in ongoing fire suppression/control efforts after the disaster, and therefore the ground became quite contaminated. Despite the decontamination efforts (including removing topsoil and laying down new concrete/tarmac surface), areas where plants have broken through the concrete or where water accumulates still show elevated radiation readings:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

The penultimate stop of our trip was another one of the few 16-storey apartment blocks in Prypiat, "Community IV Apartment Block Heroiv Stalingradu Street 9".




As we walked up the stairs, we once again went past broken lift shafts - we also saw the stuck car between floors (this is the roof):



Seeing hand-prints on the corridor walls was a little eerie:



On this beautiful day the unobstructed view from the roof was fantastic, if triggering a little vertigo due to the flimsy roof and railing:



Looking down on the overgrown streets of Prypiat:



Looking across the forest and water to the north:



Saving the best view for last, this view across Prypiat shows both the power plant (including Reactor 4, the New Safe Confinement, and the under construction cooling tower) and the Duga-1 radar array in Chornobyl-2 (faintly on the horizon about 1/4 from the right):



Street view / photosphere link (not mine)

 

[Virgin Bart]

Been fascinated with Chernobyl since I was a kid. Great reading, thank you .

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Day 2

Final stop in the zone! Just before we began our journey back to Kyiv, we made another stop at Reactor 4 and the New Safe Confinement. The improved weather gave much better visibility compared to the overcast and rainy previous day. It also brought with it a sense of hope, seeing that the New Safe Confinement would soon cover the old sarcophagus and allow for its safe dismantlement.








Upon leaving the zone we passed through both the 10km and 30km checkpoints, where we went through radiation detectors (including the tour vehicle).





We were each provided with a 'certificate' where our total radiation dose was written (as measured from our dosimeters). I apparently received 8µSv - more than a dental x-ray, but much less than a chest x-ray. 8µSv is one-fifth of the typical radiation dose received when flying NYC-LAX (40µSv).

A sombre but absolutely fascinating trip, often feeling like walking through a living museum with elements of exploration. The devastation it would have caused the people of the evacuated communities is evident and disturbing, with their possessions left behind, their lives suddenly being upturned, and never being able to return to their homes.

The science and ecology of the zone are of great interest to me too. Seeing the completed New Safe Confinement next to the sarcophagus and knowing it would soon 'slide' over it the following month was awe-inspiring from an engineering perspective. Exploring the secret military base of Chornobyl-2 and the Duga-1 radar was fascinating. Observing how nature reclaims abandoned cities was humbling.

We only saw a small portion of the zone, and in all honestly I feel like maybe I should have signed up for the 5-day tour instead.

The journey back was uneventful and swift (probably a little too quick! ) until we got to the heavy Kyiv traffic congestion.

It was dark by the time we were dropped off in Kyiv, and we took the metro back towards our hotel (after a friendly guy from Slovenia who was with us on the tour with us showed us how the 'token' ticket system worked). The stations are decorated in impressive ways, and are also quite deep underground, requiring multiple long escalator trips to resurface.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Just found this interesting set of photos over at The Atlantic - Thursday was 32 years since the Chornobyl disaster:
Visiting Chernobyl 32 Years After the Disaster


I'll be back to more regular trip-reporting for the rest of this journey now. Still to come: Kyiv, Portugal, Amsterdam, London, Zürich, Cape Town, and Kruger National Park. So for those who don't find rotting/abandoned buildings interesting , there will be some other photos!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

For the remaining few nights we had in Kyiv, I had booked the Hilton.

This has to have been the best Hilton (and possibly best hotel) I have ever stayed in.

I booked a basic room, but we were upgraded to executive level and spa access (thanks to the Velocity Platinum complimentary Hilton Diamond status). A very modern building with the best executive lounge I have seen (great space and views), best spa facilities I have used (full length pool, hot tubs, steam room, multiple types of sauna, complimentary bottles of water), best service I have received, and best bathroom facilities (the rain-shower was amazing).

Breakfast options in the lounge were quite extensive, and we were offered both cooked-to-order eggs and later cooked-to-order waffles. The evening drinks offering and service was equally impressive.

Unfortunately the only photo I seem to have is of the welcome gift in the room!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Kyiv is a great city, with lots of interesting sights.

Independence Square, the location of the recent protests. Here there are makeshift memorials set up along the road:


There are a great deal of churches/cathedrals/monasteries in the old town areas.

Bell tower of Saint Sophia's Cathedral:


St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery:




St. Volodymyr's Cathedral - set against the blue sky beautifully matches the colours of the Ukrainian flag:



Golden Gate:



That evening we visited a basement bar down the road from the hotel called Сплетни/spletni - which translates as "Gossip". The coughtail menu was presented on architectural/drafting paper with great diagrams showing each drink. 1UAH was around 0.05AUD, which makes the Long Island Ice Tea AU$4.25.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

The following day we visited "The Motherland Monument" - an impressive Statue Of Liberty-esq structure which is visible from all over Kyiv:




In the grounds/park around the base of the monument is the war museum:




Li-2 transport aircraft:


Monument to Unknown Soldier:



We then took the metro to the National Chornobyl Museum. Lots of trams on the streets:


The museum was quite interesting, but it is quite obvious it does not have a large budget.

New York Times headline/article from 29th April:


Map of the exclusion zone:


Here is a photo series showing the process of demolishing and burying buildings in the contaminated villages: