July 22nd 2009 total solar eclipse!!!

Sharpened Lyrics

Although Varanasi is not on the exact centre line, it is still within the overall line of totality. Granted it will be 3 minutes long instead of 3 mins 30 secs in Robertsganj but I've decided that I'd rather watch the sun rising over the east bank of the Ganges in Varanasi itself and see a 3 min eclipse there than trek out to the middle of nowhere just for an extra 30 seconds.
I've marked a couple of possible eclipse viewing spots along the centre line and at around 400-600 metres above sea level on the edge of escarpements using Google Earth and I'll upload the KMZ files later so you can have a look and decide for yourself if it's worth going there. You never know, I might change my mind between now and then and just rent a jeep or Enfield and go there the previous evening, camp and watch the sunrise.

Good eclipse hunting everyone.

palerider

Surely we can all meet on top of some place to watch?.

Hotel Rakshmi?. Great unencumbered rooftop.
Good western and indian food.

FREE!!

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actraveler

I was thinking about going to Omkareshwar near Indore. It looks like an awesome place to be especially for eclipse chasing. What do you guys think?

machadinha

I was in O'war just recently. Awesome and invigorating place alright, should be posting pics and travelogues soon.

Whether suitable for eclipse viewing, no idea. According to some of the above, I doubt it. It's not high up, for one thing.* (It will be even hotter than it already was a month ago, for another. Around the 40C's when I was there.) (Well, maybe the monsoon will be rolling in by then. Which, btw, shouldn't up your chances of seeing anything.

Folks in the wider area were urging me to return during that period btw, not because of any eclipses, but because everything's said to turn much greener than it already was even during this dry season, somewhat to my surprise. Amazingly agricultural area. One wonders what the state of the already barely passable roads would be though... During my visit, 20 kms/hr in this general and much wider area seemed to be quite a pace. I can run faster save for the pack and the heat.)

* And many here may want to remember many a panoramic photo opportunity even in India gets averted by the general dust and haze. Oh, and fog, at times, esp. at otherwise recommendable early and sometimes late hours.

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alalal

Hi there, I am seriously thinking of going to this also, just trying to weigh up between China and India.

I may well be in India at the time in question

Please keep on adding information, it is very valuable.


More info from me later,

alalal

Prister

Is anyone going to Patna for the Eclipse? After doing a lot of research on precipitation and cloud layers we have concluded that perhaps Patna is best for watching teh eclipse in India? Is there anyone that will be out in Patna on July 22nd?

kaleido

Wonderful, wonderful!
I'll be there too... Eclipse & Varanasi, here I come!

babamarco

Varanasi for me...

DreadJohn

hey everybody. Glad I found this forum. I'm traveling outside the US for the first time and alone as well. I arrive in Varanasi on the 20th and am looking forward to the eclipse. I'd love to meet up with anyone viewing the eclipse. It's the reason for my trip. you can email me directly at jahlove2000@hotmail.com

DreadJohn

any suggestions for guesthouses or hotels in Varanasi? I'm reading so many reviews online my eyes hurt. It would be great to get some advice from all of you who know the city.

pavinder

Hello people, my first post on these forums too - and very excited that I too will be in Varanasi for the eclipse.
I witnessed the '99 eclipse in England, and can assure you that cloudiness doesn't take away the incredible awe of such an event at all - although one might not see the sun's corona and a sky filled with stars, the sense of...sheer magnitude... is phenomenal.

I do have a couple of questions though and would really appreciate any advice.
Firstly, I'll be arriving in Varanasi on July 21st - is it likely that this eclipse will be a mammoth event in Varanasi and that accommodation will be incredibly scarce?
Secondly, do people recommend being right down in the throng of the crowds for the event, or on a rooftop somewhere - and if so, where - quieter ghats like Assi ghat, or up near the main ghat (if of course there won't be a million other people crowding there to try to get a view..)?

pavinder

I had a similar dilemma - 6 minutes totality in China vs 3 in India, questionable weather in both places, etc.

Much as I'd like to discover China someday, the potential difficulties there do outweigh India. If wanting to have an eclipse experience is your main aim, then I recommend making the logistics of that experience as smooth as possible, hence India. And as a bonus you'll already be in a country with an unbelievable variety of other incredible possibilities afterwards.

Of course the ideal viewing spot for this eclipse is Japan, but unfortunately the tiny islands from where one can see the eclipse have been fully booked for months. Even though I live in Japan and have known about this eclipse for 2 years I wasn't able to find a way to get to see it at a reasonable price. The alternative of watching it from a boat...it's next to impossible to find a ticket, and even then you're looking at a good US$600 or more for the privilege!

However the prospect of being in such an incredible city as Varanasi (rather than some unknown location in China), the ease of travel in India (English-speaking), the food, the colour, the incredible people one meets (both other travellers and fascinating locals), chai, beedies, train travel, spirituality, the Himalayas - choosing was a no-brainer for me.

All else aside though, wherever you decide to go, it'll certainly be an amazing experience....

Eastern Mind

As many Hindus consider a total (and partial)eclipse of the sun to be inauspicious, it'll be interesting to study the sociological effects in Varanasi. Some temples will be closed. Some Hindus will stay inside. Some take it very seriously, while others see it as a silly superstition resulting out of fear of the unknown. Perhaps the banks of the Ganga will be less crowded. Perhaps not. Certainly the eclipse chasers in the scientific community are excited.

DreadJohn

what a great entry. I really enjoyed reading that so much.

pavinder

Fascinating indeed.
Given that Westerners aren't generally very superstitious, do you still think it should be reasonably easy to arrive on the 21st and then find a guesthouse?