My eclipse experience in Venezuela, 26 February 1998
I finally made it. A total solar eclipse without clouds. An astonishing event one won't easily forget.
This year I ended up on my own instead of with a group. At first I wanted to go to Colombia. Had a ticket and all but after the elections last November things became real dangerous over there. I decided I didn't wanted to get shot so I re-arranged the air ticket. I came up with a weird detour via Miami and Aruba to Las Piedras in Venezuela. The airport on the Peninsula de Paraguana was right in the path of totality.
Getting myself a rented car was more difficult than anticipated, but I managed to agree on sharing the last available one with an American who came a day earlier.
Finding a place to stay was less difficult as long as you were willing to pay too much for low standards. So I did and ended up in Adicora, the beach resort at the east coast.
Surviving a car breakdown, which I could fix, and an overnight crash to our parked car, which was solved out with the rental company, the search for an observation site had begun. On exploring the possibilities I decided not to go to one of the three official eclipse sites (El Pico, San Jose de Crocodite or Puerto Escondido).
Too crowded and possible traffic jam, apart from roadblocks with lots of policemen.
Instead I went on a 45 minute walk north of Adicora, close to the beach, in the rough on a slight elevation with free view to all directions right to the horizon. Not a cloud in view. Deliberately I had chosen not to take any photographs or video cause I wanted to experience it, see it, live it, be there!
At approximately 12.30 hours, local time, first contact was there. Now the tension building waiting began. Checking out now and than whether the moon really was making progress in the way I expected. Yes, it was really going to happen. It became darker, needed no sunglasses anymore. It got colder. And soon I could see Venus. That gave me the reassurance the sky was really clear.
And there it was, like a blanket of darkness, the moons shadow.
A simple diamond ring and gone was the sun. Jupiter and Mercury popped out immediately and the chromosphere was visible. Mars and Saturn could be located as well. There were prominences on the top. Streamers of the corona stretched out till Jupiter on one site. It was dark! A strange horizon all around me. Slightly grey at the bottom, orange above, than bluish turning into dark blue to black higher up. Wow what an experience.
Now prominences below! Big red flames above the sun's surface.
Baily's beads showed at the edge, followed by a nearly double diamond ring. The light turned back, and a few minutes later the warmth was returning.
Totality ended but the imprint was still in my mind. Made a few sketches and notes. Checked on the sun, yes, the moon was passing away. Finished the recording of this event. A constant sound of wind and waves on the background.
Although I was out alone in that area I had heard screaming and shouting of others and so did I as can be heard on the tape.
Back in 'town' people were exciting too. Locals wanted to tell there story to me, one of the few foreigners out there and with an 'other' eclipse T-shirt. I smiled and knotted because my Spanish wasn't good enough to understand it all. But it was good enough to get me a T-shirt from the special eclipse police force for free!
All this excitement gave me the desire to rush home to tell my friends an family. Instead I wrote it down for sharing this with you later.
LN, 26/2 98 -- 9/3 98