The eclipse photo from Tatakoto, to end this eclipse & travel blog nicely
donderdag 9 september 2010
woensdag 28 juli 2010
End of the trip
I am back in Belgium since this afternoon after a very long flight from PPT + TGV from CDG to BRU. Nothing special to report, no lost luggage, no troubles at the migration nor customs, no Mr. Bean situations. I will now need a lot of effort to process the tons of pictures. I will post a few here to conclude this blog.
During the trip it was impossible to upload any photo as the PCs in the internet cafes have only a screen and keyboard exposed, not to mention the upload time it would have taken.
Thanks for your attention.
vrijdag 23 juli 2010
Niva Oa - update 23-July
Hi all,
Internet access at the pension and not much ado, so time for another update. This morning big event on the island: the 2-weekly freight ship Taporo IX arrived in the small port. It will bring the new supplies and take away the copra load, this is dried coconut meat that will be used to make oil for the skin. Since Tuesday Atuona was without bread because the only baker had no more flower supplies. There was also no more gasoil in the petrol station. This is now solved with the new stocks being shipped in.
Tonight there is some local dancing in the village and this afternoon may be going to an archeological site.
Tomorrow flying back to PPT.
Internet access at the pension and not much ado, so time for another update. This morning big event on the island: the 2-weekly freight ship Taporo IX arrived in the small port. It will bring the new supplies and take away the copra load, this is dried coconut meat that will be used to make oil for the skin. Since Tuesday Atuona was without bread because the only baker had no more flower supplies. There was also no more gasoil in the petrol station. This is now solved with the new stocks being shipped in.
Tonight there is some local dancing in the village and this afternoon may be going to an archeological site.
Tomorrow flying back to PPT.
donderdag 22 juli 2010
Update from the Marquesas
Hello all,
Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. Very difficult to get access to Internet, unless you travel with your own laptop and find wifi access. Either it is 14 of July and everything including the internet shop on PPT is closed here as part of the French overseas territor or you are depending on the Post Office of Nuka Hiva (Marquesas main island) which refuses to give a terminal at 15:10 because thet are closing at 15:30. And the next day is a full day of excursion and then of course a Saturday and a Sunday, and you guessed it right: everything closed.
Everything at the Marquesas is very relaxed, villages with one shop (Oa Huka) which never seem to be open, maybe it also works on demand as the museum of Oa huka where the key has to be fetched in the blue house (providing you find somebody around). No more eclipse chasers around here.
At Nuka Hiva the horse riding at Sabine was good fun : through the valley of Nuka Hiva and with a good guide and a horse that went easy in galop. At Oa Huka on the otherhand it was rather disappointing: had to give a lot of legs to make this horse move a bit, and all this on a wooden saddle!
I am now in the last island of the Marquesas part of my trip, Niva Oa, before heading back to Papeete. This is the place where Jacques Brel and Paul Gaugin spent the last years of their lives. Went to see their tumbs and visit the museum where the aeroplane of Jacques Brel, the Jojo, is exposed.
Bye for now.
Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. Very difficult to get access to Internet, unless you travel with your own laptop and find wifi access. Either it is 14 of July and everything including the internet shop on PPT is closed here as part of the French overseas territor or you are depending on the Post Office of Nuka Hiva (Marquesas main island) which refuses to give a terminal at 15:10 because thet are closing at 15:30. And the next day is a full day of excursion and then of course a Saturday and a Sunday, and you guessed it right: everything closed.
Everything at the Marquesas is very relaxed, villages with one shop (Oa Huka) which never seem to be open, maybe it also works on demand as the museum of Oa huka where the key has to be fetched in the blue house (providing you find somebody around). No more eclipse chasers around here.
At Nuka Hiva the horse riding at Sabine was good fun : through the valley of Nuka Hiva and with a good guide and a horse that went easy in galop. At Oa Huka on the otherhand it was rather disappointing: had to give a lot of legs to make this horse move a bit, and all this on a wooden saddle!
I am now in the last island of the Marquesas part of my trip, Niva Oa, before heading back to Papeete. This is the place where Jacques Brel and Paul Gaugin spent the last years of their lives. Went to see their tumbs and visit the museum where the aeroplane of Jacques Brel, the Jojo, is exposed.
Bye for now.
maandag 12 juli 2010
Successful Eclipse observation from Tatakoto
Hi folks,
This is to report back that we observed successfully the 11-Jul eclipse from Tatakoto. It was a night and morning full of tension as a lot of clouds built up in the evening and the night with from time to time some rain. Also big clearings with fantastic star sky but in the early morning looked quite overcast. before the eclipse started there was even a short rain shower an I had to cover my camera that was already mounted on the tripod.
But before first contact a big clearing in the sky reached the sun and before first contact at 07:27 we were all in the clear, with some big clouds just on the horizon. Just before 2nd contact there was very little of thin cloud just before the sun but almost all of the total phase we could see unobstructed. The corona was extremely beautiful with long streamers and hundreds of fine plumes near the poles. there was one very large prominence at 11: O'clock, having the shape of a lasso, part of a mass coronal ejection (MCE).
At the end of totality more bright prominences showed up, almost half a circle, then followed by the chromosphere and a short but very bright diamond ring. It was beautifuol and we were especially very releaved that everything turned out so well.
Just to end by saying that the stay at this small atol of Tatakoto was fantastic. The local people welcomed us very warm hartedly in their houses (no pensions here on this islan with a population of less thne 300, 1 village with 1 mainstreet, 1 town hall , 1 post office, 1 school. We stayed with 8 in the house of one family who took care of the excellent food: lots of fresh cooked and raw fish, and lots of coconut, the island is planted full of coconut trees. They took care for the lodging and bringing us around. After the eclipse they made up a nice show with the local dances. No internet, no stress, completely relaxing (except for the clouds before eclipse).
I am moving next to Moorea, just a small stop here in Papeete.
by for now.
This is to report back that we observed successfully the 11-Jul eclipse from Tatakoto. It was a night and morning full of tension as a lot of clouds built up in the evening and the night with from time to time some rain. Also big clearings with fantastic star sky but in the early morning looked quite overcast. before the eclipse started there was even a short rain shower an I had to cover my camera that was already mounted on the tripod.
But before first contact a big clearing in the sky reached the sun and before first contact at 07:27 we were all in the clear, with some big clouds just on the horizon. Just before 2nd contact there was very little of thin cloud just before the sun but almost all of the total phase we could see unobstructed. The corona was extremely beautiful with long streamers and hundreds of fine plumes near the poles. there was one very large prominence at 11: O'clock, having the shape of a lasso, part of a mass coronal ejection (MCE).
At the end of totality more bright prominences showed up, almost half a circle, then followed by the chromosphere and a short but very bright diamond ring. It was beautifuol and we were especially very releaved that everything turned out so well.
Just to end by saying that the stay at this small atol of Tatakoto was fantastic. The local people welcomed us very warm hartedly in their houses (no pensions here on this islan with a population of less thne 300, 1 village with 1 mainstreet, 1 town hall , 1 post office, 1 school. We stayed with 8 in the house of one family who took care of the excellent food: lots of fresh cooked and raw fish, and lots of coconut, the island is planted full of coconut trees. They took care for the lodging and bringing us around. After the eclipse they made up a nice show with the local dances. No internet, no stress, completely relaxing (except for the clouds before eclipse).
I am moving next to Moorea, just a small stop here in Papeete.
by for now.
donderdag 8 juli 2010
8-July update
Hi there,
Finishing my 5 day stay at Bora-Bora. I gained some new experiences with the fantastic underwater world here. Yesterday I had a first diving experience with a helmet. Something like in Tin-Tin: the treasure of Scharlaken Rackham (? Don't know the exact title in English nor French). Lucky my life was not depending on Dupont and Dupon.
Today my first really scuba divign experience (called bapteme). It was a great experience: so many fishes in all colours ! But right now my ears are still blocked.
Time to go back to Tahiti now (tomorrow) and join the group of Astronomical tours. All focus is now on the eclipse! Weather is very variable and predictions are very confusing at the least.
Tension building up. Will be in touch soon, but once in Tatakoto from 10 to 12 will be without Internet.
Finishing my 5 day stay at Bora-Bora. I gained some new experiences with the fantastic underwater world here. Yesterday I had a first diving experience with a helmet. Something like in Tin-Tin: the treasure of Scharlaken Rackham (? Don't know the exact title in English nor French). Lucky my life was not depending on Dupont and Dupon.
Today my first really scuba divign experience (called bapteme). It was a great experience: so many fishes in all colours ! But right now my ears are still blocked.
Time to go back to Tahiti now (tomorrow) and join the group of Astronomical tours. All focus is now on the eclipse! Weather is very variable and predictions are very confusing at the least.
Tension building up. Will be in touch soon, but once in Tatakoto from 10 to 12 will be without Internet.
zondag 4 juli 2010
Arrived in Bora-Bora
3-July: Hectic flight from Paris to Papeete. Checkin system broke down 3 times and after more than 3 hours q-ing they finally decided to do the checkin manually. I wonder about the contingency procedures ! Arrived with 3.5 hours of delay in PPT. It rained very hard and arrived totally wet in the hotel around 2 AM.
Today (4-Jul) I arrived in Bora-Bora after a flight + shuttle boat + Le truck (some kind of truck built into a bus).
Met several eclipse chasers already on the way: Ellen from Holland, Dave and Ray from the States (2 men with very long beards that I have met already for the 5th time on my eclipse trips!)
That's all for the moment.
Today (4-Jul) I arrived in Bora-Bora after a flight + shuttle boat + Le truck (some kind of truck built into a bus).
Met several eclipse chasers already on the way: Ellen from Holland, Dave and Ray from the States (2 men with very long beards that I have met already for the 5th time on my eclipse trips!)
That's all for the moment.
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