June 20th 2001

Wild ride to the central line

It is the coldest morning so far in our camp at the Zambesi near Livingstone. It is hard to leave the sleeping bag and the tent. Most of us are up before sunrise because a last look at the thin crescent of the waning Moon belongs to an eclipse.

The last look at the Moon before the eclipse

We leave early. We have more than 300 miles on the bad and bumpy roads of Zambia ahead of us and we want to arrive in daylight to find a good place for watching the eclipse. Sometimes it is a really rough ride over the bad roads which are still partly under construction. To do justice to the authorities one must admit that they really tried hard to repair the roads but they were about two weeks behind schedule.

Over more or less completed roads we race along at over 60 mph. A tough test
for us and our equipment. Those who survive this rattle-test have really
earned their place for eclipse watching.

Slowly the landscape changes from wild steppe to farmland. Streets are getting better, the towns bigger. Then we reach the city of Lusaka, for us, who have spent the last days in the wild, a strange view.

The landscape changes. The wild Africa is tamed in Zambia and makes room for farmland.
The city of Lusaka with about 2 Million inhabitants seems like an exotic place on our tour.

Wherever we get into contact with the local people, the solar glasses and shields are hot items for swapping or as presents. It is good that we have brought plenty of them.

Aid to developing countries à la WAA: solar glasses and shields
are very much in demand!

We have decided to watch the eclipse from a certain spot north of Luaka, west of the main raod. Then, on our way north, the big surprise: the exact spot where the central line crosses the main road T2 (the transit route for trucks from South Africa to Tansania and Kenia) is deserted! No crowds, just one single tent. A farmer, an Indian and a smart businessman, invites campers via a poster. And here we are! On the best accessible point on the central line and practically on our own. Only some Dutch professional astronomers are there. We have found our place.

In the evening the place is officially opened with a not too small star party. The sky is not as perfect as we used to see it in uninhabited areas but it is still excellent.Observation report in German: click here..