Take a look at this photo essay [1] by Elena, a Ukrainian motorcyclist who has a disturbingly eerie photo essay of Chernobyl on her website. Elena traveled through the deserted areas to show a modern-day Pompeii. [hat tip SimpleBits [2]]
The Chernobyl explosions and subsequent meltdown happened 18 years ago this month. I remember watching the news of the event as an eleven year-old, wondering about the depth of the damage done there.
In 1996 I traveled to Gomel, Belarus for a few days. Gomel is less than 100 miles northeast of Chernobyl, and was badly affected (local lore says that a week’s stay in Gomel today is equal to a chest x-ray—I only stayed three days). Gomel was a lovely city, but it was a little unnerving to know that something lurked beneath the surface.