Jaunted

Dangerous Travel / Chernobyl / Japan Travel / Disasters / Tourists / Tourism / Tours / Science Travel / Nuclear Travel / Communism Travel / → All Tags

Chernobyl is So Hot Right Now: Nuclear Disasters Pique Tourist Interest

On April 26 this year, Ukraine will remember the 25th Anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. No one knows exactly how many died as result of the radioactive fallout and the story of what exactly happened to cause the plant's explosion is so riveting that we can easily get sucked into reading just the Wikipedia page and links for hours. Thus, it's no surprise that Ukraine has opened the Chernobyl site to tours; it's in our nature to be curious about such macabre places.

As it turns out, the recent tourist focus on Chernobyl couldn't have come at a better, if tragic, time. With the situation at Japan's earthquake- and tsunami-damaged nuclear plants (especially Fukushima) having reached frightening disaster status, the public is reading up on nuclear energy and the history thereof, including tragedies like experienced at Chernobyl.

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Thanatourism / Ukraine Travel / History Travel / Nazi Travel / War Travel / Death / → All Tags

Just What We Need, Another Hitler Tourist Attraction

Ukraine is obviously needing a little help in the tourism department. First, it has the bright idea to give tours of Chernobyl, and now the country is banking on a Hitler attraction to bring in the tourists.

Plans are in the works to turn Wehrwolf, Hitler's Eastern Front military headquarters near Vinnytsia, central Ukraine, into a museum. The facility is scheduled to open May 9, the anniversary of Victory Day over Nazism.

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Dangerous Travel / Communist Travel / Science Travel / Thanatourism / Ukraine Travel / Tourism / Chernobyl / Nuclear Energy / → All Tags

Talk About Dangerous Travel: Ukraine to Open Chernobyl to Visitors

Can you believe it? There is talk—no, more than just talk—about Ukraine opening up the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area to tourism as soon as January. Talk about dangerous tourism; the explosion that contributed to the deaths, deformities and radiation-related health problems of millions and millions of people may have occurred back in 1986, but that's still very recent in the memory of the people, not to mention that the site is still totally radioactive. (Here's a 1996 map showing levels ten years later).

When we were in school, we recall opening our textbook to a page on the Chernobyl explosion, and there was a haunting image of the plant. It piqued our curiosity greatly, and we'd be lying if we said we aren't at all intrigued at the possibility of visiting. On the other hand, it's pretty understood that Chernobyl is a no-go zone.

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Travel Tips / Five Cities Begging for Your Attention / Kiev Travel / Communist Travel / Chanize Thorpe / Ukraine Travel / → All Tags

Five Cities Begging for Your Attention: Kiev, Ukraine

Call us champions of the underdog, but we’ve got an overall affinity for places that are often overlooked in the travel world. Some have had rough pasts or are a tad slow on the tourist track, but they just want a little love. Here’s the lowdown on five cities eager for the chance to win you over.

City 1 of 5: Kiev, Ukraine.

Why Go to Kiev: While most people head to Moscow for slice of Soviet cake, Kiev (pronounced Keev locally), is the little Eastern European engine that could. And while there’s an air of pride stemming from their 1991 independence from Russia, most people still speak Russian and the art of smiling is a challenge at best. But, despite the Ukraine’s complexity—expect to be crazy confused and turned around if you don’t read Cyrillic—it’s still a fun city filled with museums, verdant gardens and more. There’s even a budding entertainment scene that intrepid travelers will dig, and the drinking and dumplings are plentiful and awesome.

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Full-Body Scanning / TSA / Airport Security / Naked Travel / Nude Travel / Airports / Ukraine Travel / → All Tags

Miss Universe's Miss Ukraine Supports Full-Body Scanners at Airports

During yesterday evening's Miss Universe pageant two big things went down. One was the crowning of Miss Mexico, Jimena Navarrete, as the winner, only the second time in history for Mexico to take the title. The second notable thing came dural the "Final Question" period, when Miss Ukraine was asked about her stance on full-body scanners in airports.

MIss Ukraine, 23-year-old Anna Poslavskaya answered this question put to her by judge Jane Seymour: ""Many airports are using full-body scanners. How do you feel about going through a scanner that can actually see through your clothes?"

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Eastern Europe's Statue Obsession Turns to Giant Frogs

Ex-communist countries seem to have an odd relationship with statues, with Serbia wanting to put up Rocky or Sam Fox and Russia going for the enema tribute (in bronze). We don't get it, but we figure they'll make great talking points in our photo albums.

This week it's Ukraine that's having a statue drama. The town of Golaya Pristan is celebrating its 299th birthday and the powers that be figured that marking this occasion with a quarter-ton concrete frog statue would be the way to go.

Because frogs are famous in Golaya Pristan? No, of course not. Because a neighboring village erected a small bronze frog, but those from Golaya Pristan think bronze is too showy. A concrete frog shows it belongs to the ordinary people. Right.

Related Stories:
· Monster Frog Baffles Town [Ananova]
· The Serbian Statue Syndrome [Jaunted]
· Russian Spa Erects a Bronze Tribute to the Enema [Jaunted]

[Photo of a smaller concrete frog: ozjimbob]

Food Travel / Restaurants / → All Tags

Some Death with Your Meal, Sir?

Providing good service and great food clearly isn't enough to get customers into your restaurant these days. This month new restaurants opened in Beirut and Ukraine that are giving us good food with a dark kind of theme: death and danger.

You've probably already heard about Buns and Guns in Beirut, with its menu featuring meals like rocket-propelled grenade (really skewered chicken) and terrorist bread.

But we like the Eternity restaurant in Truskavets, Ukraine a bit better. Owner Stepan Pyrianyk decided the restaurant should be built inside a 65-foot-long coffin. It serves death-themed dishes including something ominous called "Let's meet in paradise." We might save our visit, though, until we're ready for our last supper.

Related Stories:
· Restaurant Built Inside Coffin Opens in Ukraine [Telegraph]
· Lebanese Food Served with a Bang [BBC]
· Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kava.lviv.ua]

religion / animals / World Cup / → All Tags

Agonizing Agnostic Meets Goleo's Fury?

Checking out the local zoo is a favorite pastime for many travelers. But how close should you get to the animals? In the Kiev Zoo this week, a Ukrainian man rappelled into a cage full of lions, shouting "God will save me, if he exists". One of the lions seized him by the throat, severed his carotid artery and the soon-to-be-non-believer died at the scene.

Ukrainian zoo animals are getting a reputation as being a little unfriendly: earlier this year, a twelve-year-old boy had both hands bitten off by a zoo bear when he offered him some crackers. However, the Kiev lion victim wasn't so friendly himself, and waved his arms aggressively at the lions before reaching his premature end.

But hang on: hasn't there already been a troublesome lion in the headlines recently? Could it be that the larger-than-life World Cup Mascot Goleo VI is heading east? Can anyone report a recent sighting that doesn't place Goleo in Kiev? If we'd got as much bad press as him, we might feel like munching on an insane intruder too.

Related stories:
Mauled man was suicidal [Russian News & Info Agency]
World Cup Mascot a Slut [Jaunted]

Festivals / → All Tags

Last Night a DJ (Festival) Saved My Life

We're still working our way through this month's brick of Travel and Leisure--though the brand-new T+L 35 has already surpassed Girls of the Big Ten as our favorite magazine article ever written--but one thing that caught our attention was the article about the Crimean DJ/house music/techo festival, Kazantip.

Kazantip draws 50,000 visitors to the Ukraine, mostly Russians and Ukrainians, dancing around ten stages each night during the entire six weeks it takes place. The beachside festival will celebrate its thirteenth birthday this summer. It's a big deal: Kazantip organizers made a gigantic gate, a la Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, at the entrance to the "Kazantip Republic", and one of the stages is even built on stilts over the ocean.

It sure beats the hell out of Shakespeare in the Park, doesn't it?

Related Stories:
·   Beach Party [T + L]