A ‘hot’ tourist spot
At a check point entry to the Exclusion Zone.
It’s a media circus. I’m waiting for Security to check my passport when two bus loads of press people and tourists arrive. It’s a stark contrast to the eerie emptiness of Pripyat. The countdown to the 20th anniversary of the accident has begun. The hype is rising. The BBC call. They want to do a live broadcast in front of the damaged reactor, starting at 1:23 am, the morning of 26th April. The exact time of the accident two decades ago. Will the IAEA have experts they can speak to?
Chernobyl is now a ‘hot’ tourist spot. I cringe at my play on words, as well as being a part of it. Over 1,400 sightseers came to Chernobyl last April. A few hundred dollars can secure your entrance.
