We were very lucky to witness a “perfect” total eclipse on our very first attempt.
Dad had just retired, and out of nowhere he asked if I wanted to go and see a total solar eclipse. I had no idea what that even was — but he was interested, so I decided to go along. He did all the research, and we joined Spears Travel from the USA, a group run by Gary Spears, with Fred Espenak — Mr Eclipse himself — among us. We joined in Xian, the only two Asians in an American travel group.
Right at the last minute, the chosen viewing site was taken away — it had been re-designated for Chinese officials. Gary and his China team scrambled and found another spot, but it meant travelling three hours by bus to somewhere remote in the Gobi Desert. That was the great advantage of a dedicated group: they had the permits, they sorted the logistics, and we just followed.
When we finally arrived — literally in the middle of nowhere — we were met by half a dozen open tents with foldable chairs, a BBQ for lunch, cooler boxes of cold drinks, and a partially enclosed squatting latrine pit. Fred Espenak was already set up, his telescopes and cameras cordoned off so no one could knock into them. In the distance, buses of local Chinese viewers at least a mile away, and a few soldiers in the background making sure no one wandered off.
Then it began. Through our telescopes and binoculars, behind our self-made solar filters, we watched the black edge of the moon slowly bite into the sun. The surroundings darkened, suddenly and obviously. Even with only a sliver of sun left, it was still too bright for the naked eye. Then the countdown to second contact — filters off — the diamond ring and Bailey’s beads gone in seconds, and there it was: a black dot in the sky with bright white light streaming from every side. We were standing in the shadow of the moon, and it was such a beautiful sight to behold.
Back at the hotel in Dunhuang, we spent the evening cleaning fine desert sand from every piece of equipment and repacking it all to be left outside the door by 10pm. We saw the terracotta soldiers in Xian, rode camels along the fringe of the Gobi, and visited the Mogao Grottoes, where the oldest wall paintings show dark-skinned monks — because the first monks to reach China had come from India. A perfect first eclipse. We were hooked.