Did you find other places you would like to revisit while in the area?
Hey, Marc! Maybe. I could definitely see exploring Kiev some more, since it's not your typical top 10 tourist destinations and they have a lot of history. There were a few overlooks on the Dnipro River that I wanted to catch, but after we got back to town I was fresh outta mojo, almost out of CF cards and very ready to go home.
The best (?) part of the trip was the cab ride to the airport. We crossed the river and passed some large factories... then the sun was suddenly smothered in a thick, stinking gray industrial fog. The sun disappeared into a dull circle and the high-rise apartments around lay more shadows from all directions. Not sure if it would be any better for your health than at Reactor 4, but it would have made for some interesting shots.
Thanks for sharing! The gas masks and handless clock sent shivers down my spine!
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annnna8888Registered Users, Super ModeratorsPosts: 936SmugMug Employee
edited November 26, 2010
I looked at your post a couple of times in a span of a week before I could comment. Very powerful photos and a great narrative. Impossible to pick out favorites, there are simply too many. I'm sure this was an experience to remember and a trip of a lifetime.
I am a bit curious about Foques' comment though: Minsk is only about 350 kms from Chernobyl and not thousands. Even Ljubljana, Slovenia, where I live, is only 1200 kms (about 750 miles) away. And there are theories that radioactive clouds that spread over Europe following the catastrophe caused some people here to get sick, especially with cancer.
Anyway, I haven't been to Chernobyl yet but hopefully I can make it there one day to see for myself what you showed us in this wonderful post.
Thanks for the plug! Ana I am always curious about the impact of closer-living residents like yourself. I have a friend who grew up in Berlin who said even out by her, there were issues with radioactivity.
I can't stress enough that the silence of radioactivity is so much more apparent in person than when you read just those words on paper. I've worked with low levels of radioactivity in the research lab but that is nothing in comparison to invisible hotspots in the wild.
My husband (zweiblumen) went into one of the hottest spots in the Zone for a total of 28 seconds. The geiger counter went off the charts, and the scariest part of it is that had they not known about the levels ahead of time, they could have possibly just entered the room and stayed there for many minutes without knowing a thing.
I think so. Though, I can't comprehend wanting to celebrate stuff like that.. But hey, what do I know..i'm just thankful for not having 3 legs or 2 heads or anything.
Absolutely insane pictures and story! One day, I'm going to grow up and be a photographer as good as Schmoo! Ok, maybe not as good but everyone gets the point...
Tony P. Canon 50D, 30D and Digital Rebel (plus some old friends - FTB and AE1) Long-time amateur.....wishing for more time to play Autocross and Track junkie tonyp.smugmug.com
Really great set. I have done a ton of reading about this subject, and I would really love to go there at some point. If anyone wants good read on the subject, read Ablaze by Piers Paul Read. Describes the history of Chernobyl, sets the scene for the accident (reactor design flaws, and the testing that caused it), covers the accident, and the aftermath. Great book.
Really great set. I have done a ton of reading about this subject, and I would really love to go there at some point. If anyone wants good read on the subject, read Ablaze by Piers Paul Read. Describes the history of Chernobyl, sets the scene for the accident (reactor design flaws, and the testing that caused it), covers the accident, and the aftermath. Great book.
Ukranian gov-t just confirmed that next year, they are going to open access to even more of Chernobyl. Crazy.
I don't think they are really opening more of it up, I think it's more of they are now advertising the fact that you can go tour Chernobyl. They make A LOT of money off people who tour the zone and with the Ukrainian economy in as sad of a state as it is they could really use that boost of tourism dollars.
I HIGHLY recommend seeing Chernobyl/Prypiat if you have the means. It's a very cool and unique place.
Thanks guys, and thank you for the link! I'm always on the hunt for interesting reading material.
If you don't mind me or the rest of us asking, what was your approximate cost in airfare, food and lodging? Also, would you mind making a thread for any info about hotel and planning information you used?? That would be helpful for the future.
If you don't mind me or the rest of us asking, what was your approximate cost in airfare, food and lodging? Also, would you mind making a thread for any info about hotel and planning information you used?? That would be helpful for the future.
It's not a problem! I already fielded similar questions via PM since we got back.
Maybe kts can give you a more accurate number for airfare, because I didn't fly directly in/out of Kiev. It ran a little over $1k per person for my husband and myself but we were flying into Paris, out of Kiev.
Hotel, food, and transportation (to and from Kiev, and around Pripyat) was all included in our 4-day "tour" of Chernobyl. This was about $1200, but this also changes from year to year, depending on what the government says it will cost. You do need to have the appropriate permissions/paperwork/visas all sorted out ahead of time.
Planning is hard, because we were not even sure we were still going until about 6 weeks before we were due to meet. Again, the government can pull the plug at any moment, so keep an open mind. This may make it difficult to book flights, though.
The reason why we were able to get to cool places is because we didn't go on a tour group. You can Google for those and you can find any number of companies that will take you on a bus ride day trip to Chernobyl, but this wasn't that kind of tour. Email this guy. He's the one you want.
In general, I've learned that when traveling around Ukraine your motto must be "Deal with it." Things probably wont be to the standard that you're used to and no one smiles and if you're vegan you might starve and they do love "tips." But it's an awesome experience!
I know by now replying to this thread is probably like :deadhorse but our friend and guide Arek finally posted his report and a trailer for his own video that he will debuting in 2011:
Maybe kts can give you a more accurate number for airfare, because I didn't fly directly in/out of Kiev. It ran a little over $1k per person for my husband and myself but we were flying into Paris, out of Kiev.
Hotel, food, and transportation (to and from Kiev, and around Pripyat) was all included in our 4-day "tour" of Chernobyl. This was about $1200, but this also changes from year to year, depending on what the government says it will cost. You do need to have the appropriate permissions/paperwork/visas all sorted out ahead of time.
Planning is hard, because we were not even sure we were still going until about 6 weeks before we were due to meet. Again, the government can pull the plug at any moment, so keep an open mind. This may make it difficult to book flights, though.
The reason why we were able to get to cool places is because we didn't go on a tour group. You can Google for those and you can find any number of companies that will take you on a bus ride day trip to Chernobyl, but this wasn't that kind of tour. Email this guy. He's the one you want.
In general, I've learned that when traveling around Ukraine your motto must be "Deal with it." Things probably wont be to the standard that you're used to and no one smiles and if you're vegan you might starve and they do love "tips." But it's an awesome experience!
Sorry I missed this until now. Our flight was $1k from DC to Kiev on BA.
Like schmoo said, Arek IS the one you want, going with him is worth every penny.
A few people have asked me what to budget when they go and I've been telling them $2500. It was a bit less than that ($1k for air fare, $1200 to Arek for the trip and most of the hotel and meals, and then I think it was about $150 for a (nice) hotel in Kiev, transport to/from the airport, and meals there.) I rounded up and just went with $2500.
Sorry I missed this until now. Our flight was $1k from DC to Kiev on BA.
Like schmoo said, Arek IS the one you want, going with him is worth every penny.
A few people have asked me what to budget when they go and I've been telling them $2500. It was a bit less than that ($1k for air fare, $1200 to Arek for the trip and most of the hotel and meals, and then I think it was about $150 for a (nice) hotel in Kiev, transport to/from the airport, and meals there.) I rounded up and just went with $2500.
Hey Kev when are we going to see your pics around here?
Comments
Hey, Marc! Maybe. I could definitely see exploring Kiev some more, since it's not your typical top 10 tourist destinations and they have a lot of history. There were a few overlooks on the Dnipro River that I wanted to catch, but after we got back to town I was fresh outta mojo, almost out of CF cards and very ready to go home.
The best (?) part of the trip was the cab ride to the airport. We crossed the river and passed some large factories... then the sun was suddenly smothered in a thick, stinking gray industrial fog. The sun disappeared into a dull circle and the high-rise apartments around lay more shadows from all directions. Not sure if it would be any better for your health than at Reactor 4, but it would have made for some interesting shots.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Kristine
I am a bit curious about Foques' comment though: Minsk is only about 350 kms from Chernobyl and not thousands. Even Ljubljana, Slovenia, where I live, is only 1200 kms (about 750 miles) away. And there are theories that radioactive clouds that spread over Europe following the catastrophe caused some people here to get sick, especially with cancer.
Anyway, I haven't been to Chernobyl yet but hopefully I can make it there one day to see for myself what you showed us in this wonderful post.
Ana
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I can't stress enough that the silence of radioactivity is so much more apparent in person than when you read just those words on paper. I've worked with low levels of radioactivity in the research lab but that is nothing in comparison to invisible hotspots in the wild.
My husband (zweiblumen) went into one of the hottest spots in the Zone for a total of 28 seconds. The geiger counter went off the charts, and the scariest part of it is that had they not known about the levels ahead of time, they could have possibly just entered the room and stayed there for many minutes without knowing a thing.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Great Work...
www.edhughesphoto.com
Thanks for sharing!
Boy, I wish I could travel the world to suck in as much as there is to know about EVERYTHING! Knowledge is power.
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In time for their 25th anniversary, I wonder? I hear that they are planning quite the celebration for it.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
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tonyp.smugmug.com
I dropped the final video into the main post since it's been done now and the video/pics were supposed to go together.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
http://www.amazon.com/Ablaze-Story-Heroes-Victims-Chernobyl/dp/0679408193/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1292686247&sr=8-13
Thanks guys, and thank you for the link! I'm always on the hunt for interesting reading material.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
I don't think they are really opening more of it up, I think it's more of they are now advertising the fact that you can go tour Chernobyl. They make A LOT of money off people who tour the zone and with the Ukrainian economy in as sad of a state as it is they could really use that boost of tourism dollars.
I HIGHLY recommend seeing Chernobyl/Prypiat if you have the means. It's a very cool and unique place.
If you don't mind me or the rest of us asking, what was your approximate cost in airfare, food and lodging? Also, would you mind making a thread for any info about hotel and planning information you used?? That would be helpful for the future.
It's not a problem! I already fielded similar questions via PM since we got back.
Maybe kts can give you a more accurate number for airfare, because I didn't fly directly in/out of Kiev. It ran a little over $1k per person for my husband and myself but we were flying into Paris, out of Kiev.
Hotel, food, and transportation (to and from Kiev, and around Pripyat) was all included in our 4-day "tour" of Chernobyl. This was about $1200, but this also changes from year to year, depending on what the government says it will cost. You do need to have the appropriate permissions/paperwork/visas all sorted out ahead of time.
Planning is hard, because we were not even sure we were still going until about 6 weeks before we were due to meet. Again, the government can pull the plug at any moment, so keep an open mind. This may make it difficult to book flights, though.
The reason why we were able to get to cool places is because we didn't go on a tour group. You can Google for those and you can find any number of companies that will take you on a bus ride day trip to Chernobyl, but this wasn't that kind of tour. Email this guy. He's the one you want.
In general, I've learned that when traveling around Ukraine your motto must be "Deal with it." Things probably wont be to the standard that you're used to and no one smiles and if you're vegan you might starve and they do love "tips." But it's an awesome experience!
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
http://www.podniesinski.pl/portal/?p=3130
Obviously, after 10 trips he's gotten quite a few more stories to tell!
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Sorry I missed this until now. Our flight was $1k from DC to Kiev on BA.
Like schmoo said, Arek IS the one you want, going with him is worth every penny.
A few people have asked me what to budget when they go and I've been telling them $2500. It was a bit less than that ($1k for air fare, $1200 to Arek for the trip and most of the hotel and meals, and then I think it was about $150 for a (nice) hotel in Kiev, transport to/from the airport, and meals there.) I rounded up and just went with $2500.
Hey Kev when are we going to see your pics around here?
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>
We are waiting for your husband’s photos too !
I will get right on that.
Any time. I've forwarded your info over to a few more people who have asked me.