The Chernobyl Driver: A tour guide's view

Updated

On April 26, 1986, Pripyat, a city built to serve the nearby Chernobyl nuclear plant, fell victim to the worst nuclear disaster in history. Jimmy Ryan fell in love with the ghost town in 2011 and runs in-depth tours. On the 30th anniversary of the meltdown, he describes his experiences.

Visiting an abandoned city like Chernobyl is addictive, it’s very strange. It doesn't seem real. You just don't get the same sense of freedom anywhere else — where it's just you for miles upon miles. It's like being the last person on Earth and you're looking at the end of the world. Jimmy Ryan

Most Chernobyl tours have very strict rules, you're not allowed in buildings or to venture away from the guide, but I get very relaxed rules. I can't mention any names, but I get given complete freedom, to walk down the street, walk into people's houses, to climb the tallest buildings. Jimmy Ryan

Having visited Chernobyl dozens of times, Jimmy befriended many of the guards and military personnel who, over time, granted him free rein to travel throughout the area. His visits became so frequent, he began giving tours and taking friends along for the ride. Being the primary tour guide who was always driving the vehicle entering the gates of Pripyat, the Ukrainian guards began calling him The Chernobyl Driver.

The most striking highlights are the Ferris wheel, and the Palace of Culture, which has a library, an emptied swimming pool with a diving board, a boxing ring, and a grand theatre with huge paintings of the old communist leaders. Jimmy Ryan

However, unless there's clear indication, as with a swimming pool, Jimmy says it is often hard to tell what things are or what rooms used to be due to severe deterioration and damage over the years.

But for me the most remarkable site is the Duga Radar, which was a top-secret, massive radio receiver that was used to tune into the western world and to spy. It used to spit out frequencies which gave rise to conspiracy theories of Soviet mind control, and was only confirmed to exist after the fall of the Soviet Union. Jimmy Ryan

The 150-metre-tall radio towers are all listed on official maps as being a children's resort, and Jimmy says the journey to get there is littered with cartoons and kids' attractions.

Nature has completely taken over. Birds, foxes, dogs, horses and wolves all run wild, while many of the old central squares are covered in fruit trees with huge blossoms. You have to remain mindful, because obviously you can't eat the fruit. Sometimes I walk around and see a beautiful field on a sunny day and want to lie in the grass and have lunch, and you have to remind yourself: the radiation is in everything, despite the natural beauty. Jimmy Ryan

People always ask me about radiation exposure. I always carry a Geiger counter around to measure where I am, and its true some places are so highly radioactive you can only spend a few minutes there without putting yourself at serious risk. But a lot of the outer areas away from the plant site are safe now. Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy said his outlook on the radiation changed when he once took a Geiger counter on a flight from the UK to Cuba and discovered the total radiation received on the flight was worse than spending four careful days in Chernobyl.

I often love to visit a lot of the older generation re-settlers who have returned to their houses. They have water wells, they grow vegetables, and farm chickens, but they have to get their produce and water checked periodically for radiation. They also say to keep it secret, but they make homemade vodka. We'll have dinner, eat some pickled gherkins, and do shots of the homemade vodka. They're very proud people. Jimmy Ryan

The cities and houses are still littered with people's personal belongings: shoes, pianos, furniture, old photographs, cutlery, and newspapers that are dated the day of the accident, April 26. But they don't mention the accident at all, as it's all reporting on what happened the day before. Jimmy Ryan

Sometimes I stand at bus stops and imagine what it was like before. It feels like it was a very young city: lots of kindergartens, pools and playgrounds, libraries and education, and quite modern architecture. You imagine buses driving up and down and people walking the streets with prams. You get the impression it was a lovely small town. Jimmy Ryan

Every time I go back, I meet more people and discover new locations that convey forgotten and abandoned lives, which gives you new perspectives. I have been there so many times I genuinely couldn't count, and there's still so much more to explore. Jimmy Ryan

Sorry, this video has expired Video: The World speaks with Chernobyl driver Jimmy Ryan (The World)

Topics: nuclear-accident, tourism, 20th-century, ukraine

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