Chernobyl - 18 Years Later

Elena is a Ukrainian woman who lives about 130 kilometers from Chernobyl. She uses a camera, a notebook, and a motorcycle to collect information and photographs first-hand at the location of the world's worst nuclear reactor accident. Here's an excerpt from her photo journal website.

If I am in the Ghost Town just for a ride, then I go alone, but I never go alone inside of buildings. There are many places that not structurally safe, or have collected pockets of intense radiation. The other reason is wild boars, if you see one on the street, this is not a big deal, but to meet face to face inside of the building... I could become a dinner for a family of them.

When I explore buildings, I pick up a girl friend of mine who lives in Chernobyl, and is a professional guide for the dead zone. She is a native and highly literate in the field of atomic physics. She has a great personality and great taste in shoes. There are places where no one dares to go, not even scientists with protective gear. One such place is the Red Wood forest and another is the Ghost Town Cemetary. The relatives of the people who are buried there can not visit, because in addition to people, much of the radioctive graphite nuclear core is buried there. It is one of the most toxic places on earth. [sic, entire excerpt]

Elena's photographs are haunting. Her words are sobering. There are no people, nor barking dogs, in Ghost Town. Take a look.