Greetings from Ukraine!

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Finally I have the opportunity to visit Ukraine, an exotic and fascinating destination for an Australian traveller. And judging by the incredulity of the friendly locals, the great southern land is just as exotic and fascinating to Ukrainians. It seems we have a budding mutual admiration society about to spring up! Obviously the country has been in the news for all the wrong reasons following the ousting of the Russia friendly former President in the 2014 revolution, and the subsequent three year conflict with Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. But the conflict seems to be from a distant land when visiting Kiev, and travellers are sure to get a friendly welcome in the beautiful and historic capital city. Kiev has a population of three million people, and this centre of culture and history has always been an important contributor to continental Europe.

Due to the conflict there are no direct flights from Moscow to Kiev, so I was forced in to an obligatory stopover in Riga. My passport documents were heavily scrutinised on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides of the border, but after arriving with my visa paperwork in order I was soon able to stride out of the airport to enjoy a new country. I took the frequent shuttle bus to the city centre, finding it difficult at first to locate the metro which is a rare experience. But with the help of a few locals I was soon on the metro in the middle of peak hour with all my bags, which is always a fun experience ... not! Nevertheless I was thrilled to get back above ground after three very crowded metro stops and find my way to the awesome TIU International hostel in the heart of the city. The check in was a breeze with the relaxed and friendly staff member, and before long that familiar yet addictive travel feeling began to wash over me; it's the thrill of being in a new country with the chance to explore and create memories that will always be treasured.

The first night I went out for Borsch and afterwards decided to hang out with the locals at Independence Square, as we watched the fountains dance to the music in a nightly ritual. The authorities close off the main street to traffic for several hours in the early evening, and people promenade while watching the street artists under a carnival type atmosphere. The next morning I got myself sorted and headed out on foot towards Lavra, one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city. I was somewhat surprised to be stopped by two policemen, who asked to see my passport. I explained the passport was back at the hotel, but showed a copy captured on my phone. They called through and detained me temporarily until they received the all clear from immigration. That hasn't happened since visiting Maputo back in 2007, the capital of Mozambique. I guess it pays to have a photo of your passport and visa with you at all times in certain countries. During the evening the hostel staff were surprised to hear of my experience, as other guests began taking photos of their passports while we were talking.

Anyways, back to Lavra cave monastery. which features a beautiful belltower dating back several centuries, and of course the stunning monastery built by monks in 1051. Lavra is one of the holiest places for worshippers of the Russian orthodox faith. Visitors can also pay a visit to the caves, but I chose to stay within the beautiful monastery grounds. There are sweeping views of the Dniepar river from Lavra; it's a wonderful place to visit considering the entrance fee is around 30 hyrivna (which is a dollar or so). In the evening I chilled out at the hostel while chatting with guests and staff, soon to prepare for another day of exploring. The temperature has been over 30 degrees in Kiev with the evenings stiflingly hot, but it sure beats visiting Eastern Europe in winter. It's clear the locals are basking in the warm weather though, as they endure long and severe winters in this part of the world.

I got up next morning and decided to educate myself somewhat by embarking on a history day. The day commenced with a walk to the reconstructed Golden Gate, this was the main entrance to the walled city of Kiev built in the 11th century. The site was reconstructed by the Soviets in the 1980s, and the museum is largely dedicated to the leader Yaroslav the Wise who built the original gate. The structure features a gorgeous chapel on the top floor, and proves to be an interesting destination to visit. I pushed on after lunch to the Bulgakov museum in the famous writer's family home. Mikhail Bulgakov is considered one of the great Russian writers of the 20th century, and was fortunate to have the favour of Stalin. He was born in Kiev and started his career as a medical doctor, but turned to writing after the conclusion of the first world war. The house is interesting and visitors get the chance to step back in time while visiting. I didn't pay the extra fee for a guided tour, nevertheless the staff let me tag along with a Ukrainian couple who did some translation for me when needed. The next day I walked to the Motherland Statue, also the site of the Great Patriotic War Museum, dedicated to those who lost their lives fighting the Nazis during the course of the devastating war years of 1941-1945. It's an interesting museum, and the grounds feature some impressive military hardware that visitors can sit in and take pictures of.

The next morning I woke early to join an all day tour of Chernobyl. We met in the city centre at 8:00am, and it takes around two hours before arriving at the checkpoint that signifies the 30 kilometre exclusion zone. In 1986 the world's worst nuclear disaster occurred as the Chernobyl reactor no.4 was powered down during what was supposed to be a routine test. The Director of the plant subsequently received a fifteen year gaol sentence as a direct consequence of his negligence. The Chernobyl tour is an extraordinary experience, and on the drive out to the plant the tour team play interesting videos about the lead up and aftermath of the catastrophe. Our passports were checked at the 30km checkpoint, and we drove through the town of Chernobyl where there are still a few workers in residence, although they are strictly monitored for signs of enhanced levels of radiation. The tour guide was constantly monitoring radiation levels with a dosimeter during the tour, and things got really serious when we entered the 10km exclusion zone, which remains completed uninhabited by humans. Our guide took us right by the nuclear reactor that went in to a catastrophic meltdown terrifying the world in 1986, and we viewed the two billion euro steel sarcophagus that's recently been placed over the reactor in 2016, protecting the site from inclement weather as well as containing radiation within the massive tomb. The sarcophagus will be in place for the next 100 years, as remote controlled cranes continue the painstaking task of decommissioning the reactor and removing nuclear waste.

The most extraordinary part of the tour, however, is visiting the ghost town of Pripyat. in 1986 it was a thriving and affluent town of 40,000 residents comprising plant workers and their families, who were suddenly evacuated by a fleet of buses within 24 hours of the catastrophe. This was because scientists had detected lethal levels of radiation in the town, as the reactor continued to burn out of control just three kilometres away. The residents had two hours to pack their belongings, and were told the evacuation would only be for three days. However to this day the city remains deserted and will never be able to sustain human life. The Soviet government under Gorbachev mobilised over 500,000 people to stabilise the plant during the critical first years, and the beginnings of glasnost stemmed from the cooperation and dissemination of information between the Soviets and the West for the first time. The animals, however, are thriving as the exposure to radiation will not kill them prior to the expiration of their normal life expectancy. It was a surreal experience walking around Pripyat; during the two hours in the ghost town we visited a school building, a hospital, an amusement park, an indoor swimming pool, and finally climbed to the top of the tallest apartment building for sweeping views of the ghost town, with the deadly reactor looking ominous and dangerously close by. Wow, what a day we had, the tour has been one of the most incredible travel experiences of my life. After being scanned for radiation at the exclusion zone towards the end of a long day, the tour group were soon free to head back to Kiev where, basically all of you should be here now!

" Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter." Satchel Paige

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[Colin]

Chernobyl
Fascinating post Tom. Pripyat sounds like a very unique experience. Travel safe mate.

[D MJ Binkley]

Experiencing the Ukraine
Once you've maneuvered in the metro and gone to a couple of museums you begin to understand a country. Sounds like you had a great tour. Thanks for sharing. MJ