I remember one in the early 70s in brisbane .. think I got caned for collapsing
the top of the janitors incinerator while we were waiting about
but that could of been another day
I remember one in the early 70s in brisbane .. think I got caned for collapsing
the top of the janitors incinerator while we were waiting about
but that could of been another day
It wasn't a total eclipse. If you've never seen a total, you ain't lived ... :-)
Fantastic info Steve, geez you have done your homework well onya
I agree, I sometimes wrestle with what was the best event I have seen - 2 great comets at their best, a meteor storm and fireball shower, two 'great' aurorae, a few others, but the TSE always rises back to top of list, its just the weirdest of them all I think!
Fantastic info Steve, geez you have done your homework well onya
Thanks. TSE's have become major tourist events. The crowds in the Sahara last year had to be seen to be believed. That means you have to start planning years in advance and get in early.
I'd been finding it hard to convince my Beijing travel agent how big TSE2008 is going to be. Now there are a lot of travel companies trying to book every hotel room in the path. Suddenly she realised that it's going to be huge!
You'll have to make it to one some day soon. Cook Island in 2010? FNQ in 2012? Both are reachable. Or wait until 2028, 2030, 2037 or 2038; all in AUS!!
Camping? Sounds like a fun idea to me. But I've no idea how easy or hard that will be. Travel in lots of China is still very restricted. I suggest you have a chat with someone with more experience than me to see if camping is even feasible.
JYG has limited support for tourists, though this is being expanded as the popularity of the Silk Road tourist route increases.
Good luck!
Steve.
I read a book called China on the Lam. It was about someone who crossed China south to North walking and sleeping under a tarp and the occasional night in a locals home, the book was written about 10 years ago. Even tho China is big on capitalism it is still a communist country; most of the land is publicly owned. So there is nothing really stopping someone setting up camp where they feel like it (except nosey locals)
How long till your fully booked on the two Chinese TSE's Steve? believe me I want to go dont worry! i'd go to each and everyone if possible
maybe i need a slow boat
How long till your fully booked on the two Chinese TSE's Steve? believe me I want to go dont worry! i'd go to each and everyone if possible
maybe i need a slow boat
I'm fully booked for 2008 at the moment, though I might get a cancellation as the "booking the airfares" bill comes up in August. Ask me again around August 1.
I'm not bothering to organise a trip to 2009. The best location to observe is probably in the ocean south of Japan. I'll let someone else organise the cruise ship. Or I'll travel to Shanghai and take my chances there.
I read a book called China on the Lam. It was about someone who crossed China south to North walking and sleeping under a tarp and the occasional night in a locals home, the book was written about 10 years ago. Even tho China is big on capitalism it is still a communist country; most of the land is publicly owned. So there is nothing really stopping someone setting up camp where they feel like it (except nosey locals)
Hi Mick. That sounds like a great adventure. I've no idea how easy or hard it is going to be to backpack in far-western China in 2008. It's a pretty inaccessible part of the country, and their resources are going to be stretched to the limit by the thousands of tourists already booked to go there.
But best of luck, Mick If you do get it together, we might be able to squeeze you on our eclipse day bus from JYG to the centerline, if you want a lift.
Maybe. The problem is that no online sites are (to the best of my knowledge) letting you book a hotel for July/August 2008 yet. What you'll find when the time arrives is that all the hotels in the eclipse zone are booked.
As for a sleeper to JYG: that's a possibility on the way in. But I don't think it will work on the night after the eclipse. The eclipse is late in the day, and the centerline is a couple of hours drive from JYG, much further for Hami. Getting back to town to catch a train might be tricky. And there's no beach to sleep on ... this is the Gobi Desert.
One more thing to consider: the 2008 Beijing Olympics start one week after the TSE. China is going to be packed with tourists anyway for the Olympics; the eclipse is just going to make it much worse.
I'm fully booked for 2008 at the moment, though I might get a cancellation as the "booking the airfares" bill comes up in August. Ask me again around August 1.
I'm not bothering to organise a trip to 2009. The best location to observe is probably in the ocean south of Japan. I'll let someone else organise the cruise ship. Or I'll travel to Shanghai and take my chances there.
Steve.
thanks for that Steve, cheers - to fully answer your earlier question , if i dont make it to one beforehand, i will most certainly be going for the FNQ aussie one - might try for shanghai like yourself tho
Hi Mick. That sounds like a great adventure. I've no idea how easy or hard it is going to be to backpack in far-western China in 2008. It's a pretty inaccessible part of the country, and their resources are going to be stretched to the limit by the thousands of tourists already booked to go there.
But best of luck, Mick If you do get it together, we might be able to squeeze you on our eclipse day bus from JYG to the centerline, if you want a lift.
onya 
