Interesting times in Ukraine.

I’m writing this blog entry on my way back from my second day in Ivankiv, the largest settlement just outside the Exclusion Zone ( EZ ) around Chernobyl. My fixer, Vladimir, is an amazing asset. I doubt I’d even be able to function at all without him

(Below: Vladimir smoking on the 12th floor of an abandoned factory we climbed earlier today.)

Day 1 was spent largely getting my bearings and trying to understand how things work in Ukraine. Most people around here seem to think that traffic laws are for sissies. The driving here makes MY driving, even on deadline, seem slow and restrained. Those of you who have been in a car with me while on assignment will understand the true meaning of this statement. We did get the time to check out some interesting abandoned farm houses and barns near the EZ that were absolutely gorgeous:

(Below: A two-image stitched panorama of an abandoned farm house.)

Day 2 here was largely a bust. Some major vehicle problems this morning caused a 5-hour setback that didn’t get fully resolved until about 3PM. To make a very, very long story short, the alternator on the delivery-van Vladimir and I are driving around in blew out on us while were in Ivankiv. I can now say I’ve been stranded in a radiation-contaminated town where you don’t speak the language.

The hotel (I use the term very loosely) Vladimir and I are staying in is locaed about 30 minutes south of Kyiv. It’s a bit of a drive, and a slight pain to be so far out of town, but for about nine Canadian dollars a night, you can’t really beat the price. It’s what’s known in most Canadian cities as a “condemned building” … It’s absolutely ancient, lacks any sort of amenities at all (Hot water? Toilet paper? Shower curtain? Who needs em?!) and is generally quite disgusting. They do, however, provide lovely clean bedsheets every night, and the place is, from what I can tell, 100% bug and rodent-free.

(Below: My “hotel room” at the Yaroslavna Hotel. Note the illumination provided by the single, bare, 60W bulb.)

(Below: My bathroom at the Yaroslavna Hotel. Attention should be paid to the lack of, well, anything, really. I don’t think this bathroom has been cleaned since … well… Ever…)

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Nic's Current Location:
Yaroslavna Hotel, Vasilkiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
+50° 10' 43.11", +30° 18' 49.24"
(**NOTE** CLICK ON SATELLITE VIEW. ROAD MAPS IN GOOGLE EARTH NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS AREA.)