Kiev & Chernobyl, visit...

[ST Dragon]

I was invited to visit Kiev in Ukraine for Christmas & New Year's.
However I noticed that the city resides just 90-100km away from the Blast point of Chernobyl (26 April 1986) and that the whole area was soaked with radiation, as well as the Dnieper river passing by the city and the kyivs'ke reservoir (Probably the city's water supply)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... p_1996.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

So, I'm skeptical / worried of whether I should even visit and consume, water, food there, let alone the dust on my clothes and breath the air there.

Is Odessa (~530km away from Chernobyl) as badly affected as Kiev and safe to visit?

From what I understand the whole country was badly affected by this and probably not safe to stay or live there at all even today!

What are your objective opinions?!

Thanks in advance.

[GaijinPunch]

Well, I'm only a couple hundred K from Fukushima.

[CMoon]

Rise to the level of the challenge

[Elixir]

It was 25 years ago dude. What more needs to be said?

[Stormwatch]

Forget Kiev, just go to Pripyat!

[rancor]

I lived there for a year. Don't even worry about the radiation, but be careful of the food, air, and the water. I have no doubt you'll get the worst case of the shits you've ever had in your live, so be prepared for this. I had it, and all of my friends did too.. I'm talking about a purple, throbbing anus that can't be soothed. There wont be 20 minutes that goes by without you being on the toilet passing brown chunky ass-piss. Take notice of the toilet design as well. I believe that the soviets were unique in their shit-slide toilet desing.. haha. You'll see what I mean. I believe that food poisoning is unavoidable for foreigners staying long term - eventually you'll slip. Don't use ice, dont get water from the shower in your mouth, dont drink tap water, don't eat lettuce, dont eat fruit that you don't "peel", etc. And be wary of restaurants and street vendors as well. You'll see the baked potato vendors on every street corner there, and it's awfully tempting, but DONT. Those things are nasty. I cant even tell you the number of times I watched someone get a scoop of cheese, or other topping put on their potato and as soon as the customer turns their back the scoop goes in the employees mouth to lick the residue off. Drink kvass everyday, take baths, and eat at the Chinese restaurant across the street from "Red" university (cola with no ice). You'll be safe.
The air pollution is unreal. Everyday that I came home I felt like I had spent the night in a bar. Your lungs will honestly hurt after a few days. They still use leaded gasoline over there as well.
So much to say about that country - so cheap, so dangerous, so fun. And Ukranian girls are n-n-n-n-nasty!!! (in a good way!)

[burgerkingdiamond]

rancor

wow dude. You're an international man of mystery

[GaijinPunch]

I'm talking about a purple, throbbing anus that can't be soothed.

Whew... no ambiguity there.

And Ukranian girls are n-n-n-n-nasty!!! (in a good way!)

Here either.

I give this post my stamp of approval.

[ST Dragon]

I lived there for a year. Don't even worry about the radiation, but be careful of the food, air, and the water. I have no doubt you'll get the worst case of the shits you've ever had in your live, so be prepared for this. I had it, and all of my friends did too.. I'm talking about a purple, throbbing anus that can't be soothed. There wont be 20 minutes that goes by without you being on the toilet passing brown chunky ass-piss. Take notice of the toilet design as well. I believe that the soviets were unique in their shit-slide toilet desing.. haha. You'll see what I mean. I believe that food poisoning is unavoidable for foreigners staying long term - eventually you'll slip. Don't use ice, dont get water from the shower in your mouth, dont drink tap water, don't eat lettuce, dont eat fruit that you don't "peel", etc. And be wary of restaurants and street vendors as well. You'll see the baked potato vendors on every street corner there, and it's awfully tempting, but DONT. Those things are nasty. I cant even tell you the number of times I watched someone get a scoop of cheese, or other topping put on their potato and as soon as the customer turns their back the scoop goes in the employees mouth to lick the residue off. Drink kvass everyday, take baths, and eat at the Chinese restaurant across the street from "Red" university (cola with no ice). You'll be safe.
The air pollution is unreal. Everyday that I came home I felt like I had spent the night in a bar. Your lungs will honestly hurt after a few days. They still use leaded gasoline over there as well.
So much to say about that country - so cheap, so dangerous, so fun. And Ukranian girls are n-n-n-n-nasty!!! (in a good way!)

but be careful of the...air
The air pollution is unreal. Everyday that I came home I felt like I had spent the night in a bar. Your lungs will honestly hurt after a few days. They still use leaded gasoline over there as well.

So what can I do about that?! Wear a mask?

passing brown chunky ass-piss
I'm talking about a purple, throbbing anus that can't be soothed

I and many friends have been to some very poor 3rd world countries in Africa & Bangladesh, where there was a high risk factor of infections, virulent diseases / bacteria & food poising, but I've never heard or experienced such thing!

What was the cause of this there?!?! Radiated food / water?!?! And how long did these effects last and did they pass once you left?

Don't use ice

What's wrong with the ice there?!

eat at the Chinese restaurant across the street from "Red" university (cola with no ice)

How about McDonald's / Burger King instead?

Drink kvass everyday

What is that and what good will it do?

eventually you'll slip

In what way?

So much to say about that country - so cheap, so dangerous, so fun. And Ukranian girls are n-n-n-n-nasty!!! (in a good way!)

My kind of town!!
So I take it its gonna be one hell of a cool ride there then?!

[rancor]

It's not the radiation that will get you, its the protozoa in the water supply. Hence, don't drink any tap water unless you want a week or more of intense, crippling dysentery.
Air - try to spend the least amount of time outdoors in the city as possible.
Food - I ate at McDonalds as well as TGI Fridays - they were all OK. Just be careful about the food. There are some places that just look shady and dirty - they most likely are. Just trust your gut. If you see other foreigners eating there, it's most likely safe.

This is kvas ( <-- click for info):



Its everywhere, it's cheap, it's delicious, and it's safe! When the children of the city aren't huffing paint or smoking cigarettes, they're drinking this beer.

As bad as I make it sound, it is a helluva city. You'll have a blast if you can stay well.

[ST Dragon]

Apparently the sarcophagus holding the reactor core is on the verge to collapse so there could be radiation leaking from it even today & contaminating even more the surrounding environment and Kiev city it self!
While the corrupt politicians stole the money meant to be used to seal it permanently!

http://news.kievukraine.info/2010/02/ch ... cking.html

[xbl0x180]

... And Ukranian girls are n-n-n-n-nasty!!! (in a good way!)

This is pretty much all I need to know. I'll deal with the typhoid and irreversible effects of lead poisoning

Addendum: you'll get norovirus if you drink things with ice. Their water treatment system is probably dilapidated, so you'll have to boil it first, put it in a pitcher in the fridge.

[KBZ]

just make sure you dress the role.

[undamned]

Don't use ice

What's wrong with the ice there?!

Much like the rest of the world, their ICE IS MADE OUT OF WATER.
-ud

[antron]

This is kvas ( <-- click for info):



Its everywhere, it's cheap, it's delicious, and it's safe! When the children of the city aren't huffing paint or smoking cigarettes, they're drinking this beer.

just want to point out that it's not beer in the usual sense, there's basically no alcohol. and it tastes like you are drinking a loaf of rye bread.

Ukrainian actually has some pretty good real beer, for real cheap. I just spent a month there in the Crimea region, on the Black Sea. Sevastopol, Yalta, Bakhchisaray. I really enjoyed it.