Saloum, Egypt, 2006 Solar Eclipse Collage
I saw my first total eclipse while visiting my sister and her family in Guatemala in July 1991. I must say, it was impressive. The eclipse coming up this month is the next in that same saros, 18 years 11 and one third days later. It follows roughly the same path, with the same orientation, and relative positions of the sun, moon, and earth. Therefore, it will be somewhat similar. Both are very long for eclipses. Guatemala was nearly seven minutes. This will be five minutes for me. And, because of that "one third day" of earth turning it will be one third of the way around the earth further west!
I'm not going with Travelquest. I do love their trips. They treat you real well; things are smooth, and Aram Kaprelian and his staff do wonderful things. But one can do all those things by one's self if one wants, and, frankly, as much as I love travelling with fellow eclipse chasers and amateur astronomers, I do like the adventure of being with the people. One can see China, or Egypt, or Panama on a bus with fifty people from the United States. But one can really see China, Egypt, or Panama, and feel it, and smell it, and really get to know it on a bus with a couple of farmers, and some kids going to school, and a businessman or two....(and maybe some chickens and a goat). I remember one eclipse trip (okay, it was a transit of Venus trip to be perfectly accurate). A fellow in the shared taxi was comparing, for my express benefit, American and European foreign policy in regards to protecting the rights of minorities in the former Yugoslavia. We as we drove out of Albania through Kosovo he used all the English he knew. He had the four letter words down! He loved America and Bill Clinton.
All that is to say, I am taking the Silk Road from Beijing to Europe. I'll go mostly by bus, taxi, mini van, train....and a plane here and there because some of the countries don't get along, and I have to fly over one or two. I may or may not get a picture of the eclipse. (Knowing the weather prospects, I may not even see the sun that day.) But I will try to keep you posted as I go.
I'm not going with Travelquest. I do love their trips. They treat you real well; things are smooth, and Aram Kaprelian and his staff do wonderful things. But one can do all those things by one's self if one wants, and, frankly, as much as I love travelling with fellow eclipse chasers and amateur astronomers, I do like the adventure of being with the people. One can see China, or Egypt, or Panama on a bus with fifty people from the United States. But one can really see China, Egypt, or Panama, and feel it, and smell it, and really get to know it on a bus with a couple of farmers, and some kids going to school, and a businessman or two....(and maybe some chickens and a goat). I remember one eclipse trip (okay, it was a transit of Venus trip to be perfectly accurate). A fellow in the shared taxi was comparing, for my express benefit, American and European foreign policy in regards to protecting the rights of minorities in the former Yugoslavia. We as we drove out of Albania through Kosovo he used all the English he knew. He had the four letter words down! He loved America and Bill Clinton.
All that is to say, I am taking the Silk Road from Beijing to Europe. I'll go mostly by bus, taxi, mini van, train....and a plane here and there because some of the countries don't get along, and I have to fly over one or two. I may or may not get a picture of the eclipse. (Knowing the weather prospects, I may not even see the sun that day.) But I will try to keep you posted as I go.
No comments:
Post a Comment