Exclusion Zone - Chernobyl

Let's start from beginning. On a beautiful day in April we decided to go to place where no other bikers have been for almost 30 years - Ukraine's Chernobyl region, a radioactive exclusion zone. Maybe you remember 1986 when the city was evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The zone has been closed until this time. Only small groups of tourists can enter for touring, but it is under many restrictions. Also now, close to the Power Plant there are a lot of workers who are building a new sarcophagus to close the previously destroyed one. The zone is so big, about 30 km in each direction from the reactor. Along the border of the zone sit barbed wire and checking points. For normal citizens it is quite impossible to go there.We decided to go there with bikes to improve our mobility and also to make it a first in history. I have to warn you, because it wasn't an official trip, we didn't have any pass from the guards. That's why we were even more stoked.Our trip started in Hubin, a village close to border of the zone. It had a lot of guards that day, so we decided to go to the opposite side of zone and start from there. About 23.00 we were alone somewhere near Maksymovici. In front of us was a bridge that was controlled periodically by guards.We were inside. We felt like children in a playground. There was another 35 km to the abandoned city of Prypiat where the rector was. It was a cold night and we were tired after travelling form Poland. We decided to take a couple hours nap, but keep off the ground as it may have much higher doses of radioactivity than other stuff.Over the next few days we saw a lot of villages in the zone and Prypiat - the dead city. It looked so amazing. Travelling on bikes was wonderful, but only possible during the night to eliminate being caught by guards. It was like riding in your best trial but multiplied by 100. Nobody around, no small sounds, it was something special - a totally black sky with millions of stars around. It was gorgeous. Nature was also lush and clean not like in most of your spots.We wore camo clothes for our safety. Radioactivity in most of places was 100- 200 microR, similar to levels in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine. But in some spots radioactivity reached a few thousand. It was a high dose but we didn't exceed the value which is unhealthy. I can't capture in words my emotions after this trip. Just have a look at photos.We did it!!!Yes it was amazing. All spots we planned to do we did. Through Prypiat, lots of villages, Red Forest and Duga radar. For sure I will visit there again...Cheers Bartek