How to visit Sunny Chernobyl
A few months ago I read the book Visit Sunny Chernobyl by Andrew Blackwell, via the largest garbage-ridden in the world and polluted places. It's like the anti-guide. It's about all the places a traveler would not go that ugly places that we overlooked. It was interesting to learn about these places that exist, but never received a cover. Intelligent, funny and well written, this is one of my favorite books that I read all year. Since Andrew lives in NYC, I was lucky to get with him recently online
Nomadic Matt :. Tell everyone about yourself How did you get to write
Andrew Blackwell. I got to be only by a reader in the letter. I was always interested to read and write in high school and college, but I had no real experience as a reporter, before I wrote the book. My actual background was as a documentary editor. But about stories and structure through filmmaking learn a lot
Nomadic Matt :. How did you do with the book idea?
I lived and travel for about six months with my girlfriend in India. She worked for an NGO, and I was around with her on these environmental sites Travel and got some pretty dirty, not-on-your-regular-tourist-route to see places. And I really enjoyed. I thought, "You know, if nobody wrote the Guide to polluted places, no one will know that these places are interesting to visit."
So I had this idea, and it is only a kind of kept rattling in your head. I finally really only gradually developed to the book proposal and wrote the first chapter in my own really slow the course of several years. And then, if I had that, I started it shows to agents.
And so, how it works for nonfiction books, especially if you are not established, you must always first write the first chapter. You have to write a proposal type mapping, which is the whole thing. But it was always a book contract, which forced me to really have to go into the world and do this
Nomadic Matt: When did you actually come up with the idea, and when did you go and after Chernobyl, when did you actually write the book?
I had the idea for this book in the spring of 03. I went Chernobyl in the spring of 06 I got the book deal on the basis of the chapter I wrote about Chernobyl, I believe, in 09. and then he was two years before it send when traveling and writing to the publisher. It was a real odyssey
Nomadic Matt :. Yes, that's a long time. How did you take the points in the book at hand?
Well, I wanted to get a good spread of different types of environmental issues and the various parts of the world, as well as various travel activities. I thought about the book not only as an environmental reporter would, but also as a travel writer. I did not walk on any trip in a forest are
those So were the three criteria :. The choice of the environmental issue, the geographical location and the movement angle. For example, you always hear about the Garbage Patch, but almost no one who actually writes about been there, because it is an incredible pain in the ass to get there. So I thought: "I have to go there." And that would be the "Cruise" section be
I'll always have a soft spot for Chernobyl itself. It's just a really interesting, fascinating, beautiful place. In addition, you are somewhere you do not really know the ropes, you do not know someone, you're kind of clueless feeling perhaps a little lost or separated, and then something happens where you suddenly feel it, you start your get stock.
I had in Chernobyl this experience where I was the feeling that I limited to this quite official tour, and then I ended up to stay the night and just wasted drunk only with my tour guide. And we had a great time. I remember being in that tiny cinderblock room, which was the only bar open on a Friday night for zone workers, pounding shots back Cognac from tiny plastic cups that you might see at a dentist.
Nomadic Matt: So you visit the first goal, Chernobyl, on their own
Yes, I literally went on my vacation time after Chernobyl. I just went and did my best imitation of what should a reporter do. You know, talk to people, take notes, and find stuff. And that went relatively well. Then I have to sample chapter and the proposal for probably another two years worked
Nomadic Matt. What was your least
This is hard ?. I found parts of China difficult. I would have to do it not have been possible without a translator, because of the language barrier. No one spoke English; no signs were in English. In addition, the trip to the garbage patch in some ways the most difficult was. It was both an extraordinary, beautiful experience, but you're on a boat in the middle of the ocean with nothing to, easy to feel sick for almost a month movement. to be on the sea, is scary. If you fall over the rail and nobody notices you - you're just gone. They are floating in the Pacific Ocean, a thousand miles from land. It is a little scary and physically demanding
Nomadic Matt:.? Why are there not more effort the negative side to see or on the environmental impact of travel and development [1945003reden] There is a question why polluted in some way places are not on our normal route, and I think that is obvious. Because people think they are probably grossly and do not want to go there. I would say they really are not so great. I would also say that I think a lot of what people on the go are often a certain type of fantasy to live on what life could be, or what another country is like or what the journey itself.
I think if you were on the road, because you want to find out how the world works, then that would be a lot of other places open that are not obvious destinations and that would include problem environments. We are all interested in the environment, is not it? For me, I see, should be interested in what looks like the pollution in the vicinity. And I think it's not as viscerally disgusting or horrible as people expect
Nomadic Matt :. I would definitely agree that to a certain extent, people want the romance of a target. What is the one thing that get you people out of your book?
is this sound super pretentious, but for me it is really to accept a world that is less perfect. Many will environmentalism motivated by a very idealistic version of what we want the world would look, it would be all green and clean and full of beautiful, exotic animals and so on. But I think it is very important for the future health of the environment to be realistic about the fact for us is that we do not get to the perfect, idealized Garden-of-Eden-style environment.
For example. If you go to Paris and looking for romance and it is not what you expected, then you have two options Either you can think that it is a disaster, and it is a mistake and go home totally disappointed - or one can engage really like it actually is. And that will be sustainable and a rich experience, even if it does not meet your expectations
Nomadic Matt :. Do you know all about it, see how people, the environment on your trips to these places?
Yes, definitely. I think that we can help the rawness of places hype us about environmental issues, take care. On one level, that's fine, but I think we as consumers of media and people concerned about the environment, we need the hype, the image, the scary story to help us connect, why it is important. To connect with why it is important, but at the same time it builds a lot of mythology to
It is controversial to say, but have the dangers of Chernobyl and the consequences of Chernobyl overblown. been the images of the garbage patch overblown. Much of it has to do with images. How, we really think some space to see and feel it and smell so disgusting, [but], when you go there you're like, uh, it's just a kind of a different location. And the environmental issue is very real, but you only realize that we have been through a kind of hyped images already connect
Nomadic Matt :. What advice would you have travelers regarding travel and the environment?
I think eco-tourism traditionally means a place of a pristine environment helps us visualize. But we should expand the idea of eco-tourism, to include all kinds of environments, even if it is a place that serious problems of undergoing, or recreation. Places such as Chernobyl, for example.
And should not reach out to NGOs and people feel that in this situation, to work on these issues travelers. If your interest is sincere, you are going to make a lot of friends and have unforgettable experiences. I mean, I'm a reporter, but a lot of times it's not because I'm a reporter, I'm greeted by some activists or organization. It's really just because I called and said: "I am going to be close to you and I'm interested in what you do, can we hang out.?" If you are respectful and legitimate interests that opens many doors in many interesting Places.
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