THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509150059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
THERE WILL BE a total eclipse of the sun over Asia on Oct. 24. Can't make it? You'll catch the next one? OK, but. . . .
The next total solar eclipse takes place on March 9, 1997, over Siberia. Siberia in March, anyone? The next one over the United States doesn't occur until August 2017.
So, now maybe this cosmic happening is a maybe on your calendar. There are tours, as you might expect.
Consider this first: Because visibility of the eclipse - in which the moon will completely block the sun for a brief period - is dependent on weather, most tours are emphasizing sites that are historically clear and dry in late October. Among them is the Rajasthan desert in India.
A few companies have selected the ancient temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where views of the eclipse could be particularly spectacular. Travelers should be aware, however, that Cambodia's monsoon season sometimes lasts through the end of October.
Here are some options (your local travel agent may have other ideas or may help with these):
A Tibetan astrologer from the Dalai Lama's contingency will guide a Snow Lion Expeditions tour, Oct. 20-27, to view the eclipse from a vantage point directly below the moon's trajectory on the Thar Desert in India's Rajasthan state. The trip begins in Delhi, with a tour of the city, before heading for Jaipur. After a visit to Nawalgarh, participants ride camels into the desert, where they will watch the eclipse from the Path of Totality camp before going to Arga, site of the Taj Mahal. The price is $2,883, including air fare from New York and land costs. (800) 525-TREK.
Outer Edge Expeditions is planning a tour for Oct. 18-27 to watch the eclipse from the Rajasthan desert. The Taj Mahal, the Observatory Jantar Mantar in Jaipur and Delhi are among the other stops. The cost is $2,095, double occupancy, including local transportation but not including air fare. Info: (800) 322-5235.
Overseas Adventure Travel is offering at least two 13-day eclipse-themed tours to India, one departing Oct. 17 and the other Oct. 18. Participants in both groups will converge at an ``eclipse camp'' in the Rajasthan northwest of Agra for the eclipse. Other sites on the itinerary include the Taj Mahal, New Delhi, Jaipur and Varanasi. The $3,190 cost includes round-trip air fare from New York, most meals and accommodations. Info: (800) 221-0814.
Absolute Asia is offering a trip to Cambodia and Thailand from Oct. 20 to 31. In addition to viewing the eclipse as part of a spiritual ceremony of prayer and meditation at the Angkor Wat ruins complex, participants will go to Phnom Penh, Bangkok and southern Thailand's rainforests and remote islands. The cost is $3,150 per person, double, and includes accommodations, air fare from East Coast gateways and most meals. Info: (800) 736-8187.
High Country Passage Inc. offers a solar eclipse tour through India Oct. 15-26, led by Glenn Schneider, who works with the Hubble space telescope program. On the itinerary are Delhi, a private tour of Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur, the Taj Mahal, and the Festival of Lights and start of the Hindu New Year. Cost is $3,990 per person, double, from New York, including air fare, lodging in deluxe hotels and in a deluxe tented camp for viewing the eclipse, and most meals and other fees. Info: (800) 395-3288.
View the eclipse from the South China Sea with Walter Cronkite, who won an Emmy reporting on the U.S. space program, on board Orient Lines' Marco Polo Oct. 12-28. The Asian Eclipse '95 cruise includes three nights in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 days aboard the luxury ship - calling on Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City and Kota Kinabalu in Borneo - and two nights in Singapore. Cost is $4,090 per person, double, including air fare from New York. Info: your travel agent. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
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