Eclipse trip 2008

Planning this trip, a tour of The Planetary Society with Betchart Expeditions. The planned itinerary is:
Fri Jul 18 - LAX for flight early Saturday morning

Sat Jul 19/ Sun Jul 20 — USA to Hong Kong Depart from Los Angeles International Airport on Cathay Pacific Airways for Hong Kong (CX 881) at 01:30, crossing the International Date Line en route.

Sun Jul 20 — Chengdu Arrive in Hong Kong this morning (07:25), and take a connecting flight to Chengdu (KA 820 at 10:40). Arrive Chengdu at 13:15. Transfer to the hotel (2 nights). Enjoy a walking tour along Chengdu’s Fujiang River and welcome dinner.

Mon Jul 21 — Chengdu Pandas This morning, we will visit the giant panda breeding center in Chengdu, one of three locations for panda breeding and conservation in Sichuan. Naturalistic surroundings enable us to view pandas acting much as they would in the wild. For a donation, it is possible to see and hold young pandas. In the afternoon, we’ll visit Huaihua Park and the classically landscaped garden that commemorates one of Chengdu’s famous residents, the Tang Dynasty Poet Du Fu. Later, we’ll enjoy an amusing performance of traditional Sichuan Opera.

Tues Jul 22 — Lhasa & Tsedang, Tibet This morning, we will fly from Chengdu to Lhasa,Tibet, heart of the Tibet Autonomous Region. After we arrive at Konggur Airport, we will drive to ancient Tsedang. We will pass alongside the high peaks of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains (some exceed 23,000 feet in elevation) and continue downstream past the confluence of the Yarlung Tsangpo River to the town of Tsedang. When the ancestral Tibetans first settled the Tibetan Plateau, it is thought they came to Tsedang first. It is easy to see the allure of this sunny and fertile valley, washed by the Yarlung Tsangpo River and its tributaries. Zedang Hotel (2 nights).

Wed Jul 23 — Chonggye-Valley of the Kings Today, we will explore Chonggye, where Tibet’s early rulers are entombed in the “Valley of the Kings”. Here, an earthen terrace holds the burial chamber of Songtsen Gampo and his two wives, Chinese and Nepali. The view from the terrace is memorable, of wheat fields, hillside monasteries, and encircling peaks. After lunch, we will walk or ride ponies to the hilltop castle of Yambu Lhakang, a structure that predates Buddhism in Tibet by nearly 1,000 years and is one of the first fortified castles in Tibet.

Thurs Jul 24 — Lhasa-Barkor Square Today, we will depart for Lhasa, traditional cultural center and modern urban center of Tibet. We will stay near Barkor Square in the old (Tibetan) part of Lhasa (5 nights), so it will be easy to walk in this fascinating, picturesque neighborhood. This afternoon, we will meander through alleys and streets in old Lhasa and discover this vivid heart of the city. In Barkor Square, crowds follow Lhasa’s most important kora (pilgrimage circuit), marked by four incense burners at the far corners. We will move along with the pilgrims and may discover ancient prayer wheels or workshops for thankas (religious paintings) en route, plus a fascinating profusion of humanity, from children to monks, shopkeepers, and pilgrims.

Fri Jul 25 — Lhasa-Museum & Jorkang Temple Today, we will visit the Provincial Museum, an exhibition of traditional medicinal thanka paintings at a Tibetan hospital, and Jorkang Temple, perhaps the most revered pilgrimage site in all of Tibet. The Jorkang Temple is the spiritual heart of Tibet, and houses the most revered Buddha image in all of Tibet, brought there by King Songtsen Gampo’s Chinese wife in the 7th century AD. The Jorkang was constructed in the bed of Lake Worhang after it was drained. Legend says a demoness lived in Lake Worhang and Princess Wencheng wanted the lake drained and a Buddhist temple constructed to eliminate the life-blood of the demoness. The temple is an extraordinary site, with incense heavy in the air.

Sat Jul 26 — Lhasa-Potala & Norbulinka We will explore two classic Tibetan sites today, the iconic Potala Palace, and Norbulinka, a landscaped garden-temple complex that served as the Dalai Lama’s summer palace. The Potala is the most compelling image in Tibet, situated high on the “red hill” Marpo Ri, overlooking all of Lhasa. It was the seat of the Tibetan government, until the Chinese takeover in the late 1950’s, and was the winter home of the Dalai Lamas for the last 200 years. In past times, a grand procession from the Potala to the summer residence was one of the local highlights of the year. In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from the Norbulinka disguised as a soldier during the Chinese takeover. We will also see the New Summer Palace, built by the 14th Dalai Lama in the 1950’s, with murals of Tibetan history.

Sun Jul 27 — Ganden Monastery Today, we will visit the Ganden Monastery, a place of great importance to the ascendant Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Of great spiritual (and political) significance to the Tibetan people, the temple occupies a hilltop, and the view is superb. We’ll try to time our visit to coincide with the monks’ late morning chanting. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in a meadow with a panoramic view of Ganden Monastery and then return to Lhasa.

Mon Jul 28 — Namco Lake Today, we will visit the high Tibetan Plateau, skirting the 23,000-foot, glacier-covered Nyenchen Tanglha mountain range and crossing a pass to Namco Lake, which sits in a shallow basin at an elevation of 15,500 feet. The expansive beauty of Namco Lake is extraordinary. Those who wish can walk a looping path around rock formations at the end of a peninsula at the eastern end of this great lake. The lake covers hundreds of square miles and is encircled by grasslands and the glaciated mountains of Nyenchen Tanglha. En route we will have an opportunity to visit a family of seasonal nomads.

Tue Jul 29/ Wed Jul 30— Lhasa to Dunhuang Today is a travel Day. We will fly from Lhasa via Lanzhou to the ancient Silk Road oasis town of Dunhuang, in far western Gansu Province, where the northern border ranges of Tibet have given way to Central Asia’s Gobi Desert. Set against sand dunes, Dunhuang is known for the Mogao grottoes, which were carved during the 4th to 13th Centuries when the Silk Road was devoutly Buddhist. Despite their age, the frescoes are delightfully vivid and engaging, and depict a fascinating part of Chinese history. We will have a full Day in Dunhuang to enjoy this extraordinary site. Dunhuang Hotel (2 nights).

Thus Jul 34 — Dunhuang to Jiayuguan From Dunhuang, we’ll drive eastward, crossing desert to the Ming Dynasty outpost of Jiayuguan, which marks the western end of the ineweri (14th C.) Great Wall of China. Jiayuguan was the historic entryway to China from the West. Time permitting, we may explore Yulin, another desert canyon with stark landscapes and well-preserved Buddhist artwork, en route. Arrive at our hotel (2 nights) and begin to prepare for tomorrow’s Total Solar Eclipse.

Fri Aug 1 — Total Solar Eclipse Today, we will visit the historic Jiayuguan Fort and see the Wei Tomb, lined with brick and set more than 30 feet beneath the desert surface. Each chamber , undisturbed until recently, contains beautifully rendered images of every day life along the Silk Road more than 1,500 years ago, from mulberry picking to animal husbandry. We will enjoy a leisurely afternoon to prepare for the eclipse. We will depart early for our eclipse-viewing site, situated on the centerline of totality of this rare celestial display. All participants will receive eclipse-viewing glasses.

We will look for special phenomena of the Total Eclipse. As the Moon slowly comes between the Sun and the Earth, you will see the dark crescent of the Moon cross the Sun and slowly advance to block all of the Sun’s direct rays. Just before the Moon blocks the Sun, the sunlight passes through lower surface features of the Moon, creating a phenomenon called “Baily’s Beads.” Sometimes the depression of the Moon is so great that it produces a larger
phenomenon, called the “Diamond Ring.” During the Total Eclipse, the rays of the Sun produce a corona, or
crown of light radiating outward behind the dark globe of the Moon— this rare event can be seen only with a total solar eclipse. The sky will remain blue but will be much darker. The air temperature will drop noticeably, and the activity and singing of birds will lessen dramatically. It will be an extraordinary experience!

Accommodations this evening on an overnight train to Lanzhou. The train is comfortable with soft sleepers in private
compartments with four berths.

Sat Aug 2 — Lanzhou to Chengdu - Arrive in Lanzhou this morning, and then take a connecting flight to Chengdu. Farewell dinner and overnight in Chengdu,

Sun Aug 3 Fly from Chengdu: KA 821 at 14:05, arrive Hong Kong 16:50. The fly to LAX on CX 880 at 23:35, arriving at LAX on Sunday at 21:50.

Then a day of rest 

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