Nuclear Tourism: Las Vegas and Chernobyl

An early post on my CULTCHA blog (what do you mean you don't read it ?) referred to Las Vegas.

My boss, David Lambert is one of a group of British geographers who are involved in the Association of American Geographers (AAG) conference in Las Vegas, which takes place from 22nd-27th. The UK Geographers' Panel Session is on Monday. There will also be the world premiere (outside of the GA offices) of a movie that I made... (more on that to come in April)

Wonder if there will be any web content, or delegates producing Twitter updates

 from AAG09 (or whatever tag it has)

My interest in Las Vegas was partly because of its previous designation as the "UP AND ATOM" city. This was because people travelled to the city to view the early atomic tests: atomic tourism.

There's an interesting looking book on this topic that I saw on Amazon and also in a bookshop and had a browse.

Earlier today, came across TOUR CHERNOBYL: a company which specialises in day trips into the evacuation zone. Via a TWITTER post from Danny Nicholson, I came across an incredible gallery of images by someone who had taken a tour of the area given by TOUR CHERNOBYL.

Particularly like the fairground images, and abandoned hotel rooms and schools. The FERRIS WHEEL below could make a good starter: why is no-one riding the Ferris wheel ?

Image by BLH from the GRcade Forum

 The website also has links to various VIDEOS, such as the one below by Ian Gruber :

This could make a rather different take on the old tourist brochure riff that many teachers (like me)  run with. How about places that are beyond the ordinary...

• Diving to the black smokers of the mid-oceanic ridges
  
• Eating puffer fish in Japan (a la Taras Grescoe's 'The Devil's Picnic') and other 'deadly' foods
• Walking the 'road of bones' to Magadan
• Make your own life size moai and put them in the school grounds
• Abseiling into Erta Ale : the 'hottest place on earth'
• An 'Urban Earth' walk across (insert name of 'dangerous city' here)
• Zip wire from the top of the Burj al Arab
• Joining the Russian 'walruses' who jump into rivers through holes in the ice
• The Great Wall of China end to end on a pogo stick..

OK, starting to get a bit silly now...

Any more ideas or thoughts ?

I think the trip to Chernobyl is going to have to be one of those things I do at some point to pay tribute to the thousands who died, or were permanently evacuated. Anyone interested in coming along ?