Drive carefully

I was riding my horse out in the desert in the one afternoon just at sunset time last week . We were just approaching the fence that surrounds the area, when a driver in a black Hyundai sedan  drove past, way faster than  the speed limit. He probably did not see me and the horse, because he were in a hurry, well above the speed limit (I just said it, didn't I?) and the car engine and gear box sounded like they are about to give up. Solution: drive slower or get a car with more powerful engine. I wasn't really thinking about that poor car at the time, but right now I think that car's lifespan may not be very long...

My horse got spooked (and so did I), but I managed to keep her walking for another five minutes. Then she started to speed up, trotting sideways, shaking her head and because I didn't want to fall off I had to dismount and walk back to the stable.

In all fairness, there are no cameras watching over that part of the road, so 90% of the drivers conveniently forget about the speed limit. I think someone should be made aware of the lack of observing speed limits in the camp and ask them to install more cameras.

I worked hard to be able to ride my horse out of the arena and the last few rides have been quite pleasant, however that ride last week ride really began to destroy my self-confidence again. I will take more lessons and next time I head out, I hope there won't be any race drivers around.For your own sake, I hope you were wearing a seat belt. For your sake, I hope a police catches you next time before you injure other road users.

The horse disapproves speeding.

Riding around the world

Buildings in Chernobyl and Pripyat

A building in Chernobyl

A building in Pripyat

Somewhere near Duga

A stadium in Pripyat

Kindergarten

in Pripyat

Kindergarten in Kopachi

ChNNP

Dark tourism

When beach holidays, sightseeing tours in a bus with a guide, package tour with a full board aren't enough, what to do then? A DIY vacation. Go to a place where your neighbor and work colleagues never go. Visit Chernobyl, Pripyat and other  areas. Some people call it "dark tourism" or "extreme" to say the least, but to me it was something unique. Something that can't be explained to anyone else, because just 1/10 people would ever understand why I need to go to a place like that. At times I felt some parts of the tour were "staged", but still there are so many other interesting, weird and creepy things to see, so who cares if it staged or not?
Silence.It was something that I did not expect, because the world has sounds, people, animals, airplanes and birds in the sky, traffic, TV, radio, cellphone networks and towns and cities. There was nothing like that in Pripyat. An eerie silence. In some places I heard my own heartbeat, nothing else and the sound of your own footsteps on a gravel road. All those empty buildings and streets, and still expecting that a group of people would appear out of nowhere and the world would be the same. No faces in  the windows- not even zombies.
The nature has taken over. There is more greenery than signs of civilization. I did not see wildlife, but I saw the people: those who are working in the Exclusion Zone and of course my fellow tour group members. If all of them were gone, I would have thought I am the only one left in the world. I would have reached a dead end. At the same time I wondered if it was safe to spend a night in Pripyat? Probably not a good idea. If the radiation did not get you, then maybe a lone wolf or a collapsing building? Or maybe it would be just like any other night in your own bed? Who knows? I don't think I'm going to try.

In February, God willing I will return just one more time. Winter in the area is beautiful.