Chernobyl and Kyiv Trance Clubs – My Trip to Ukraine

In February of 2018 I spent a week in Kyiv, Ukraine, and one of the highlights of this trip was my day excursion to Chernobyl and the surrounding towns within the exclusion zone.

Kyiv, was another city I did not anticipate traveling to when searching for flights on skyscanner (www.skyscanner.com) from London. But the ridiculously cheap return ticket on Ukrainian International Airlines made up my mind for me. I had read about the issues currently facing the country, and after proper research, found these problems existed further east of Kyiv and Kyiv was safe and functioning regularly.

Stepping out of Kyiv International Airport, I decided to take the economic route to my hostel. I boarded a mini bus heading towards the city center as dusk approached. About half way from my destination, the driver stopped the bus and motioned for me to exit. Believing this was nowhere near where I was supposed to be, I pulled up my maps.me app and attempted to explain my position. After nearly 15 minutes of arguing in Russian or Ukrainian, luckily, one other passenger on the bus spoke on my behalf and we continued our journey to the final destination, another 45 minutes away! Arriving at the main train station in Kyiv, I first noticed the abundance of military style jackets and pants. This was my first reminder that there was currently fighting taking place a few hours train ride from where I was at.

I eventually scooped a taxi and made it to Kiev Central Station Hostel. The hostel itself is very nondescript on the outside. Up a couple flights of stairs there is a small common room/kitchen and a good place to meet other travelers and occasionally the Brazilian owner. The staff was very friendly and offered to help with anything I requested. My first request, was booking a trip to Chernobyl.

A couple days later after breakfast I boarded a minibus through Soviet Wonders for my day trip inside Chernobyl’s exclusion zone. On the roughly two hour drive to Chernobyl, Soviet Wonders and their excellent guide Maria, showed videos explaining the history of the Chernobyl disaster, explained some of the procedures for entering the exclusion zone and made restroom stops (which included a purchase of vodka to bring along the way).

The first entrance into the exclusion zone, passports are checked along with the appropriate documentation for your visit (which Soviet Wonders had previously organized) by armed guards. After a short drive from the entrance, the first stop was an abandoned village with that included a small auditorium. The buildings were very beaten down and falling apart with missing floor pieces and broken roofs. It was obvious they have been unoccupied for quite some time. Maria supplied the group with Geiger monitors to test the radiation levels. She was very knowledgeable in finding certain hot spots where radiation had settled, but also informed us the safety of the location compared to other parts of the exclusion zone.

Continuing the drive, we stopped at various monuments that were dedicated to those who lost their lives battling the disaster. Deeper into the zone and closer to the reactors, we stopped at more abandoned villages and the infamous pictures from all Chernobyl related articles, burnt/dirty children’s dolls. At this point we had the opportunity to have lunch in Chernobyl town, which was an eerie experience. Knowing we were surrounded by active radiation close by, we had lunch prepared in the town by residents who live and work there for certain mandated periods of time.

Eventually we reached the reactors and viewed the massive dome that now covers the devastated reactor. We were allowed to approach within steps of the entrance of the plant and witnessed workers still entering and engineering the safety of the reactors. Maria had informed us that workers in the area were allowed to work, but only for a set amount of days per month, and then they would have to leave for a set amount of days before they could return. I thought sitting in an office was dangerous for my health!

The next stop was the town of Pripyat. This was the highlight of the tour in my opinion. What was once a bustling town full of families with a beautiful river and town center, was now a crumbling, abandoned, radiated, waste land. Maria took us though a hospital, gymnasium, shopping center, and an amusement park. Each building and area was worse than the previous one. She informed us that Pripyat was one of the hardest areas hit by the radiation due to the wind at the time of the disaster. She confirmed this by showing us certain known hot spots that had our Geiger counters going wild. The images from Pripyat are ones that will stay with you forever after visiting the exclusion zone.

Exiting the Chernobyl area was also interesting. There were a few military checkpoints where all visitors had to pass through radiation detectors before being allowed to continue out of the area. Thankfully everyone in my group was radiation free and we continued back to Kyiv (vodka included).

In terms of restaurants and nightlife, Kyiv had some gems. One restaurant I came across during my internet search happened to be where several people from my hostel were heading one night. Palata No.6 was a few short blocks from my hostel and staffed by workers dressed as doctors and nurses. Located in an alleyway, downstairs in a building, with no signs, it turned out to be an excellent and interesting place. The food and drink were very cheap, but the highlight of the restaurant is the demonstration that only a video can explain…

Another unique experience in Kyiv was my night out at Closer nightclub. I’m not a big “club” guy, and certainly not a trance music fan. But what I walked into was wild. The group I was with first entered an adjacent bar/club that consisted of a few rooms. One was all black with bass and strobe lights going with what looked like zombies swaying back and forth. Up a few stairs from this room was what I could best describe as a “crack house” themed room, complete with strobe lights, and people laying on mattresses which I can only assume were drug addicts. Eventually, we made our way over to the actual main room (or possibly a completely different club) called Closer. Again, walking in, we were hit with hardcore trance music, and people everywhere dancing to the…rhythm? We ended up leaving around 5 a.m. and it seemed to only be getting busier.

The rest of my visit to Kyiv included walks around the city and included stops at Maidan Square, Bessarabsky Market, St. Sophia’s Cathedral, and the Golden Gate.

Maidan Square seemed to be the busiest part of the city. This was also home to protests years ago and highlighted in the documentary “Winter on Fire,”https://www.netflix.com/title/80031666 which I highly recommend.

While my trip to Ukraine was short and limited, I enjoyed the sights I saw, the limited amount of Ukrainian and Russian I learned, and the people I met. If you choose to visit, I definitely recommend making Kiev Central Station Hostel your starting point, and choosing Soviet Wonders if you plan on visiting Chernobyl.

PASS OUT

Kiev Central Station Hostel www.kievcentralstationhostel.com

GET IN MY BELLY

Palata No.6 https://palata6.io.ua/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral