The radiation isn't as bad as one might think, the highest readings we got walking around would be the same radiation level found on an airplane in flight. On pavement, the radiation level is the same as it is on a normal street in America. They had arial photos of the forest, and you could see where a path was burned though as the dust blew. It was surprising to see bright colored wall paintings and ferris wheels, most communist towns were really drab, but Pripyat (town where Chernobyl reactor is) was quite a new town with young workers. We were allowed to walk around anywhere we wanted, through their movie theater, schools, everywhere but the reactor.
Etischer, please tell us more about the time you spent in Chernobyl. It must have been a powerful and moving experience, and it would certainly be worth sharing. Do you have more photos online?
--Mary Anne
Brent
16-Nov-2006 02:15
Wow Etischer! Three ominous images that really make one think. It's just incredible the devistation from this accident and tragic how much grief it has caused. I expect you have seen this slideshow on the web done by a girl who toured the area by motorcycle? She has similar scenes of devastation. Did you have to keep track of the time you spent off the safer pavement to be sure you weren't absorbing too much radiation? Thanks for sharing these.
