Final Thoughts.
It is difficult to put into words how I felt being in the Exclusion Zone. It obviously had a profound effect on me to lure me back for a second visit, and the thought of a third will always sit in the back of my mind. Maybe a few more years down the road when the new reactor containment shelter is completed it would be worth considering, but for now I think I've absorbed enough gamma rays. I have tried to elaborate on some of my experiences in this article, which readers will hopefully understand.
Previously, when I would tell others about my plans to visit the Chernobyl zone, many would stand back in horror and think I'm suicidal for wanting to visit such an obviously dangerous place. What people do not realize is, yes, while there is radiation in the area the actual health risks are low. Firstly, your guide knows his way around and keeps you away from the heavily contaminated areas. Secondly, when dealing with radiation exposure, it's all about how much you absorb over time and not "if you come in contact with it your dead" as most people seem to believe. Most of Chernobyl city and Pripyat has been cleaned extremely well by the liquidators and all the radiation now lies in the soil. Therefore, keeping to paved roads and pathways limits exposure greatly. It has been said that spending a day or two in the zone is no worse than being in the thin upper atmosphere of a 35,000-foot altitude long-haul flight or spending an entire week sunning on a beach. Of course, there is no real way for me to prove this, but having been to the zone now twice I feel safe in not having done myself any harm. For added precaution, our total exposure was measured after leaving Chernobyl by two different radiation detection machines. We always came up all clear.
During the two trips, I took over 700 photos and three hours of video totaling some 30 gigabytes of data. Since, I have been trying to edit the material down to a more manageable level. There are countless other photographs I could have included on this site, easily making it over 30 pages longer, but there are other Chernobyl enthusiasts on the internet and I will leave some coverage to them.
I also managed to enlist a different friend to visit the zone with me on each occasion. I never thought I would find someone crazy enough to join me in No Man's Land, but I did... twice. Many thanks to Paul Colley and Philip Morris for their support and assistance throughout this project, The zone is a fascinating place and I think I speak for all three of us when I say it changed us forever.
All excitement and adventure aside, there is an extremely serious side to this tragedy and my article. There are many conflicting reports on the after effects of the Chernobyl accident, reports on which can be read about here. My heart goes out to the children affected by the disaster, especially when I reflect on all the young children that should still be living in the area, enjoying the amusement park and attending the schools. Charities have been established to help children who are suffering from illness related to radiation poisoning. Being English I have decided to support the UK division of Friends of Chernobyl's Children. You can read more about their efforts here.
It is important to me to dispel some of the untruths and misconceptions surrounding the Chernobyl aftermath. Firstly, Elena Filatova and her Kiddofspeed.com phenomenon was partly a hoax. While it is true she visited the zone like other people, she never rode through on a motorcycle. My personal guide confirmed that motorcycles are strictly forbidden by zone administration, and another guide I spoke to remembers her visit and thought it odd she was carrying a motorcycle helmet around for photos. While Elena's story is a romantic -- and at times, mystical -- portrayal of life in the zone today, she was no more than a guided tourist like myself and others.
Secondly, sightings of three legged chickens and other deformed animals around the zone are all myth and have never been confirmed. There have been some scientific reports of minor abnormalities in some species of small birds, but nothing as grotesque as some of the suggestions being made. Also, the area is no nuclear dead zone or wasteland. Flowers, trees, plants and many species of animals such as horses, boars and deer are all thriving here and make it a truly beautiful place to visit.
It appears that mother nature is reclaiming the land back after the catastrophic human errors that will contaminate it for centuries to come. Ironically, the only species on Earth unable to inhabit the zone and live freely is humans. Being we're the ones responsible for the disaster, I think it is fitting for us to be prohibited here, punished in a sense, to learn valuable lessons about nuclear energy and what happens when it is not shown the respect it deserves.
Graham Gilmore - June 2009
"This article is dedicated to my dear father Ian Gilmore, who passed away on September 9th 2008 from a Cancer related illness. Naturally, he thought I was nuts doing what I did but supported me wholly nonetheless. RIP old bean - see you soon"
Please feel free to leave a comment below and if you like my article please click on some of the Facebook 'like' buttons in the previous pages, this will help me greatly in getting exposure for my work, thank you.
great great job... i did again :P 
)
Maybe i'll see you in Pripyat tours 
) All the Best to y
