Journey to the longest solar eclipse of the 21st Century

on 14 to 25 July 2009 as astronomy lecturer with a Karawane Reisen special tour
to China, namely the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Wuxi triangle in the Yangtse delta

• The eclipse itself and surrounding events
• Animals of all sizes (mostly small) encountered
• Food experiences, dead and alive

• Noctilucent clouds on the inbound flight
• A first encounter with Shanghai just after arrival
• Hangzhou, the West Lake and more Hangzhou, incl. an amazing water show
• Wuxi with the Turtle Head and more Wuxi pictures
• On the Grand Canal from Wuxi to Suzhou
• Suzhou and its museum + Wuzhen's water town
• Sheshan Observatory + Shanghai again
• A comet conference + the museum in Shanghai

Tu, 14 July	17:50 CDT (15:50 UTC, 23:50 Chinese time) departure via a 747-400 on LH 728 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Shanghai, China. About 22:00-45 CDT ~ local midnight spectacular noctilucent clouds are seen over Russia, followed by a super-bright sunrise at 23:30 CDT.
We, 15 July	9:45 Chinese time (1:45 UTC) arrival after 9:55 flight time (weird: last year the same route took 10:53 with Air China) at Shanghai's Pudong International - where the eclipse would have been seen that morning. Bad timing, though: The Shanghai Maglev (i.e. Transrapid) does only 301 km/h at that time of day. Tour bus from Longyang station to Ramada Plaza Peace hotel takes only 28 minutes. Lunch in a little restaurant nearby (by pointing at someone else's dish), 12 yuan - unidentified, probably something with fish.
	In the afternoon up the Jin Mao Tower, no access to the Bund, little of interest in the Nanjing Road, superb dinner in some restaurant (with many dishes on one rotating mega-plate for each 10 pax or so). And the first lecture, on Chinese astronomy through the millennia - kept short for good reason: Everyone's really tired.
Th, 16 July	At 6:02 in the morning "surprising" shuttle launch on CNN (STS-127) - had made sign error in converting EDT ... great pictures all the way to ET separation. Excellent dumplings made on the road, with customers soon queuing up, before hotel breakfast. Bus soon hits the A8 going southwest, at 10:36 the highway crossing is reached where also the central line of the eclipse (which would have been seen today) goes by.
	Around 11:45 Hangzhou is reached and a local guide picked up. Long visit to Lingyin Temple - despite oppressive heat most make it to the top building. Then to the Dragonwell Tea plantation with a entertaining sales show. Quick detour to the Six Harmonies Pagoda before retiring to the Best Western.
	After dark a quick taxi ride to the shores of West Lake where a computer-controlled fountain show is just beginning and karaoke and other noisy events take place in every corner. Makes one wonder what Marco Polo - who thought this place was Paradise on Earth - would make of this ... :-)
Fr, 17 July	By boat over the West Lake and stroll through the adjacent beautiful parks (with amazing goldfish) - weather just perfect if extremely hot. In downtown Hangzhou visit to the old pharmacy/museum. Nearby an optics vendor has some telescopes on the pavement for advertising. A booth sells beer at 3 yuan/bottle while many are having cheap food on the road. In the evening to the "Impression West Lake" water show on the lake, just overwhelming.
Sa, 18 July	Bus departs at 9:09 and goes around the western side of Tai Hu (which may be an impact crater; we weren't told that at the time!). While interrupting at the Tai Hu Service Center, a high-contrast halo around the Sun is spotted. Next stop is Turtle Head Park near Wuxi where a local lunch is possible (some decline, I don't), a boat tour is taken and an extended walk over the peninsula - which is very popular with the locals.
	After a few hours onwards to downtown Wuxi - where I see the only colorful sunset of the whole trip from my hotel window. The 2nd talk to the groups is given, on the Great Questions of modern astronomy - and with the just-released LRO images of the Apollo sites as a final shocker.
Su, 19 July	In the morning visit to the Wuxi Museum where exhibits deal mostly with rice techniques, Jichang Garden and surrounding Xihui Park. Lunch at a small restaurant just opposite the hotel: Three eat well and drink for 27 yuan in total! In the afternoon at the main market halls - where a fishmonger is fighting with his mighty prey in front of my camera. And where I learn that new shirts cost half of what the laundry of an old one is at the hotel ...
Mo, 20 July	In the morning 8:50-11:35 through the Grand Canal to Suzhou, lots of industry between the cities. During lunch break a quick detour by taxi to the museum (closed) and the Taoist Temple. Also get the current "Amateur Astronomer" magazine from China in the Xinhua bookstore (hat tip to the Lonely Planet and its Suzhou map and hints).
	In the afternoon the Master of the Nets Garden is visited, then another Garden is skipped in favor of a 1-hour boat ride through the local canals. The eclipse is now quite present, with specials in the papers, flyers in the hotel, billboards etc. But the wx prospects for E day are dire; an eclipse chat in the evening doesn't help. The hotel has an indoor pool, though: aaah!
Tu, 21 July	At 8:30 quick dash by taxi to the Suzhou Museum which not only offers great architecture and a fine collection but also - at the exit! - the famous Star Chart Stela from the 13th century, wonderfully preserved. Hailing a cab back to the meeting point with the group fails, so a cycle rickshaw is taken to the silk factory #1, all the way through the city. Weird driving style, but it works. At eclipse time clear skies for the 7th day in a row ...
	Quick bus ride to Wuzhen where the eastern water town is visited, including several museums. And local chrysanthemum tea is for sale, 10 yuan a large bag (now with esoteric text in English; didn't have that last year). Then to the former Best Western, full of eclipse chasers (and with bizarre welcome tablets). Briefly at a meeting in the western water town with the Eclipse-Reisen groups: They will stay put and ride it out, and so will we. Back to the hotel on a motor bike - four people in total ... Detailled evening eclipse briefing under thick rain clouds.
We, 22 July - E day!	A lot about the eclipse on TV this morning, including interviews with Xavier Jubier and the director of Beijing Planetarium. At 8:00 to the Middle School I had scouted out last year: fog, rain, but then suddenly blue patches - and against all odds the eclipse is seen pretty well (and better than at the western water town just 1 or 2 km away, it'll turn out). Around 2nd contact and in the early minutes of totality the Sun is in a really clear patch, then it sometimes disappears, but right at 3rd it's back - only to be lost for good. Phew! At 10:00 back to the hotel where the special shows are still on, with pretty good pictures at times.
	Leaving the hotel at 12:43 towards north; heavy rain while on the highway, sometimes flooding seen. Brief visit to the Sheshan station of Shanghai's observatory - where no competent guide had been organized, so I had to improvise. But the customers are happy as a lot of eclipse souvenirs are for sale (after the eclipse itself was clouded out here). There is also a new exhibit area with lots of eclipse information posters.
	Back in Shanghai - where it is still raining, soon even quite heavy - a visit to the "Old Town" which isn't old at all but full of folks hawking green laser pointers. Just a few streets away from the tourist mayhem a more interesting part of Shanghai, though, with a street market selling live toads etc. A night boat ride on the Huangpu river brings perfect closure to the amazing trip, with gorgeous views of the Pudong skyline (which, as last year, goes mostly dark at 10 p.m.). Back in the hotel some eclipse special shows are still on, with stark views of busy Shanghai in the umbra - and driving rain ...
Tu, 23 July	While tour A is leaving for Germany (B was already gone last nite), the two lecturers attend the Fourth International Workshop on Cometary Astronomy at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum: Many Chinese comet discoverers are present and eclipse chasers/comet folks from several continents, mostly very tired. A show&tell of eclipse pictures draws a detailled picture of the situation between Chongqing and the coast. During lunch break the museum itself can be visited - in the "Relativity Theater" the 1919 'Einstein' eclipse is reenacted quite dramatically. Dinner "around the corner" from the hotel; name of the restaurant only known in Chinese characters.
Fr, 24 July	A slow day; we just visit the phenomenal Shanghai Museum in the afternoon, all halls (the one for minorities is closed 'for rearrangement', hmm ...) in 3½ hours. The museum's book store is also remarkable: I find a comic book on Chinese science history, including some astronomy! Dinner in the same restaurant as yesterday - only now do we note the big (English!) "Health Check: Fail" announcement ... but it's packed, so it can't be that bad.
Sa, 25 July	Now the time is right, the Magley does the 431 km/h as advertised - and it does indeed feel much faster than the usual 301 km/h! Picking up binoculars at the Lufthansa office which a tour participant had lost at the airport. LH 729 departs at 13:48 = 7:48 CDT, lands at Frankfurt at 18:29 CDT after 10:41 flight time. End of story!