solar eclipse 2006

Since were talking about dire weather for the upcoming lunar eclipse I thought I'd ask what peoples plans are for the 2006 total solar eclipse.

World politics being a little uncertain in many of the path countries will have a bearing on where I go for this. My girlfriend will also veto any country that is even remotely dodgy (Libya unfortunately still counts as dodgy on that definition!).

sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEplot/SE...001/SE2006Mar29T.GIF

longest totality falls in libya near the Chad border, Al Qatrun seems to be the nearest major city to that point. Though my atlas may be a bit old, as one online travel site lists Al Qatrun as "little more than a desert village with one filling station and a Niger consulate is your last stop on your way to Niger or to Chad." Regardless of the filling station, its definatly desert.

The only other realistic options are turkey or hiring a boat off crete.

S&T are doing a trip to Libya for the longest point. $2830 not including flights to libya.

Realisticly I'm looking at turkey, 3 and a half minutes of totality, Antalya seems to be the main city on the path with flights for Istanbul, so that may be the cheapest option, since I can probably package-holiday most of it.

thoughts?

Cheers,
~Al (cornwall 99 veteran!)

I'd imagine that most would be going to Turkey.
Its amazing that the americans would want to go to Libya

I won't be goining anywhere. the chances of myself and my boyfriend going to ANY Arab country, even Turky, is NILL!

I won't be goining anywhere. the chances of myself and my boyfriend going to ANY Arab country, even Turky, is NILL!

You could wear a Burka

Cheers,
~Al

I won't be goining anywhere. the chances of myself and my boyfriend going to ANY Arab country, even Turky, is NILL!

You could wear a Burka

Cheers,
~Al

I've never visited Turkey but a blue eyed blonde American friend and her German mother tell me its a great place to visit. I took my wife and baby to Cypress last Christmas (oops, my mistake it is crete that is closer to totality!) and then went on to Egypt for a day. You might want to look into the ferries between Cyprus, Crete, Greece, Egypt and Turkey. Some of these might pass through totality but I don't know if they would stop. We found the people of Egypt extremely accomodating and friendly, even to those of us with yank accents and blue passports. Maybe it had something to do with our 8 month old ambassador. Even with the presense of heavily armed police, it still felt safer to me than parts of Dublin. I don't know about Libya or Chad. Is the expression "your mileage may vary" used here?

P.S. If you do wear a Burka, make sure it is equipped with #14 welders glass or is made of a fabric certified to be safe for viewing the sun before and after totality.

Antigua 1998 eclipse veteran
Gerlinger, Germany 1999 rainclipse veteran
(My wife is also a 1979 Canada snowclipse veteran)

Has anyone actually managed to sort out anything for the eclipse yet?

EVERY hotel I've been on to in Turkey has told me thay are not accepting bookings for 2006 yet.

Cheers,
~Al