Chernobyl Tour

One of the main reasons we came to Ukraine was to take a tour of the infamous Chernobyl accident in 1986 of a nuclear reactor. It was a lot different then we all expected and it really felt like we were part of a large tour group been shuffled around to take pictures of all the famous sites. If you are interested in seeing it, my suggestion is not to book until you get to Kiev and then try to find a smaller company through your hotel or hostel. This may allow you to get more information about the sites and let you spend more time in areas you find interesting. The tour was interesting though,  the abandon town (Pripyat) and sites were completely overgrown and the cloudy sky made it look like it could have been a scene from a zombie movie. My friend Owen said that he knew the layout of the town from a video game he used to play. Recently they have opened a museum to represent the children who were affected by the disaster, it must be the most tasteless exhibit I have ever seen. It is mainly one large room that is filled with child toys, lasers, hanging baby carriages and walls with murals of angels, fire and sci-fi images. The soundtrack playing at a volume way to loud sounds like the beginning of the Apocalypse or a battle from Lord of the Rings. In any case I don't think that it gave the victims of this event any justice or represented the disaster in anyway.

Currently, there are still people employed throughout the area, all to assist in cleaning up the accident. The reactor covering is told to have thousands of cracks and because of how radiation moves there are numerous "hot spots", mostly in soil and water sources, that also need attention. 

Caution sign 

Old school house

Reactor 4

Abandon Ferris wheel

Bumper Cars

Holding a AK-47

Guns have never interested me, it is quite the opposite actually. Yet, when the opportunity came up I decided to see what it felt like to hold a weapon of life and death in my hands. They have many different options of guns that you can shoot there too. From rifles to handguns and you can even pay to drive a tank around for a bit. If war items are not of interest then your in luck since they also have a playground, petting zoo and  pony rides. Yes there really is something for everyone at the gun range. Leah and I both took the minimum number of shots possible on both an AK-47 and Sniper Rifle. What amazed me the most is how scared I was to shoot at first and then how easy it became afterward. Within a few seconds I had already shot ten bullets into the target on the other side of the field and some even managed to hit it. After it was over and the adrenaline had subsided I think that I was left with more questions than answers about the art of war. 

Kiev Additions

A few fun photos...

Chillout Bathroom Door

Hostel meetings

We stayed at a really fun hostel called, Chillout Hostel. I recommend it if you ever going be in Kiev, the two Polish girls that run it are awesome and its a great place to meet lots of people. 

Coloured eggs from the Upper Lavra

WW2 Museum

The World War 2 museum in Kiev is one the more well done ones I have ever been too. I am usually not a museum person but even the lane way down to the entrance is filled with different tanks and war vehicles that you can explore. The museum is under the giant Motherland statue which is made of titanium and is 62 meters tall. The actually exhibition has a huge collection of war items but it is hard to know exactly what everything is since there is no English. When you are finish with the museum you can travel to the top floor and get a great panoramic of the city. It is also very close to the Lower and Upper Lavra which contain caves and buildings that were somehow not destroyed during the war or during the Soviet rule. 

Kiev, a beautiful city

Well I am not sure what I was expecting when we arrive in Kiev, Ukraine but it was not what we got. I thought that it would be a dreary city that crumpled after communism fell but it was beautiful. It was full of massive monuments, historical buildings and many areas to walk around in. We took a walking tour run by university students which took us around the area and gave us the basic outline of the city. 

I think that another reason Ukraine seemed to beautiful is because of the women. Man I have never seen so many good looking women in one city before. I could barely keep my eyes off them let alone the 3 guys I was traveling with. We met these two British brothers, who both talked faster than an auctioneer and developed a habit of yelling "Jam" whenever a beautiful girl passes by. I feel like soon it may become a widely adopted practice throughout England.