Report from China by Chris Sessions

During the second half of July 2008 around 300 travellers with Explorer Tours headed into the Far East in small groups, starting their varying expeditions in China, Tibet and Hong Kong for pre Eclipse sightseeing tours. The groups shuffled around travelling huge distances under the relentless pressure of our tour guides, thoroughly enjoying the experience, and eventually all these disparate groups started to coagulate in northern Gansu Province, most of us at Jiuquan.

The local airport coped with the numbers quite well, and we were ushered into busses for the short journey to our hotel. Our guide Alan introduced himself and his ‘very experienced’ driver, Mr Li and we set off. Having recently left Beijing where motorcyclists will cross six lanes of traffic including three coming the other way simply to avoid being held up at traffic lights, we were only mildly surprised to find that we were heading down a three lane highway, the wrong way. Within a few moments it became very clear that oncoming traffic was not so happy with this approach to flexibility, but no harm done - after backing several hundred yards under the surprised eye of a policeman we selected a lane better suited to our purposes and were on our way again. We said goodbye to Mr Li.

Despite being a bustling town, Jiuquan is obviously quite unused to be invaded by foreigners – and apparently it is not rude to stare! Absolutely no hostility though – just curiosity. A stroll down the nearby street market revealed the usual stalls, plus a cycle repairing quarter, a cobbler corner and a dentist! Thankfully, as well as our group of 25 having a pharmaceutical dispenser, two nurses, a GP and a general surgeon, we also had a dentist, who confirmed that the chip off my tooth needed no urgent attention!

Our hotel, the Jiuquan Hotel had obviously made immense efforts to welcome and care for us, and the staff were smiley and most attentive to our possible needs. Dr John Mason gave an introductory lecture on the expected features of this eclipse in his usual easily assimilated way, and the next day we set off

We had been told to take our passports as the area we were entering was in the region used by China for its satellite launches, and indeed the Police stopped our convoy of ten coaches for around twenty minutes whilst they worked out what to do. It seems they were eventually satisfied with a list of the passengers in their respective busses and they let us proceed while some of their number followed. The site was scrubby desert which did not seem to justify a name so we were given its GPS coordinates to identify it. Sadly the Chinese authorities were unwilling for our members to use GPS out there, so all (except for one miscreant) just took Explorer’s word for it. Geoff’s subsequently circulated clandestine photograph of his GPS unit confirms that we were at 40.22 degrees North, 99.14 degrees East.

It seems that the English like to maintain their own space, even in a foreign country. The 304 visitors spread to the winds and no one photograph could catch more than a cluster of watchers. One small cloud moved sedately into position before first contact and a few of the real pessimists were forecasting doom. Their pessimism was unjustified and we were treated to a magnificent display, the opening Diamond Ring being so good that I failed to snap it. As others have pointed out, the sunspot minima allowed the corona to form a more regular and beautiful shape and structure with just two prominences, a clear one to the right and a low level one merging with the chromosphere to the left. In my opinion a little of the atmosphere was lost because the watchers had spread so far and wide – the cries and howls of excitement were rather muted – but the event was indeed grand.

The policemen who controlled our site still wanted to keep control of us, but had no strategy for this. Initially they wanted every traveller to travel away by the same bus but only decided this after one bus of early leavers had left with a mixed party. This did not cause them to relinquish control so we were stuck until they thought of something else. Their second approach (or was it their third?) was to simply count the remaining passengers back onto busses and off site, and finally they made do with 303 of the 304 travellers returning – a pragmatic solution.

Most of us had a bit more sightseeing to do before flying home, but this further travelling was a little less than routine for some. Hong Kong was hit with a typhoon affecting some (but not us), and we ourselves were held up after rising temperatures and high winds closed our road to Urumqi in northern Xinjiang Province for a day, this due to the ensuing sandstorm gathering up stones and other gratuitous missiles to hurl around. That night’s short rest was further curtailed by our Tour Guide arranging a 4.30am morning call to allow us to catch our flight to Shanghai from where we would fly home.

Yes, we made it, but Eclipse Chasing is not meant to be easy, is it?

-Chris Sessions 2008