Report by
Joanne Poitevin
THE ROAD TO CHIMO
MEXICO: ANNULAR ECLIPSE 10TH JUNE 2002 by Joanne
Poitevin
"The road to Chimo" may seem a strange
title for this trip report, but it's what the trip was all about. Eclipse
chasing again, annular this time, and a sunset annular with unpromising weather
prospects, but still we go, with the hope that the weather god will bless us
all.
Being English you would think I am well used to
being frustrated with what's going on above the clouds, but it doesn't count
when you know something spectacular is happening rather than normal sunrays.
However, this trip was so worthwhile, so valuable in so many other ways, and I
therefore learnt a valuable lesson. How to value an eclipse trip by other measures.
Not just seeing the eclipse, of which we were lucky enough to see about seven
minutes worth of partial phase, but also the amount of fun and effort getting
there.
After breakfast the day before the eclipse we
headed out of town for Derryl's hotel, who had hired a 4 x 4 for the trip to
Chimo. Most friends were heading for the centre line; we however, were going
for the northern limit. El Tuito was 33 kilometres south of Puerto Vallarta,
from there we headed west towards the coast, finding the road to Chimo wasn't
straight forward, there were no sign post to speak off, Patrick's knowledge of
Spanish helped with the locals giving directions.
The road to Chimo I will never forget, 55
kilometres of dusty, bumpy, mountain track, at places with sheer drops from the
side of the road, at places no wider that the car, with blind bends, and rivers
to be crossed, we kept telling ourselves, "it can not be that bad because
the bus goes there", but it was. We felt like Indiana Jones on the last
crusade. Four or five villages lined the road sometimes with a small church and
shop, and some small farms. Simple people living simple lives. The last village
before Chimo was Mal Paso, translated graciously by Patrick for me, means bad
pass, I was happier in my ignorance. With still 19 kilometres of bad pass to be
driven, sometimes my eyes were closed. When we reached Chimo we had not noticed
the amount of dust which covered, our first view of Chimo was a small cluster
of buildings by a glistening sea, we knew immediately we had found a perfect
location.
The weather that morning had been the best since
we arrived in Mexico, but by lunch time when set out for the eclipse site it
had clouded over. Chimo isn't much to write home about, could be described as
off the beaten track, away from the tourist drag. There is no village square to
speak off, two shops though, and the beer was only 7 pesos a bottle. From now
everything would be compared to Chimo's prices, the houses are simple by our
standard, chickens running around, donkeys outside the front door, and no glass
in the windows. The men were playing dominoes, and the kid's swimming, fishing
looked like the main source of income, but the kids looked healthy enough, and
happy.
The children gathered around us like the clouds.
Derryl gave out shades to all the kids, and became instantly popular. We set up
and wait.
First contact gone - clouded out. There's a shaft
of light, we have a hole in the sky, then the eclipse appears, over half way
the moon is covering the sun, 7 minutes of precious partial phase, and then its
gone again. Only to re-appear during maximum but we can only see one side
clearly.
We wrongly thought that when the sun came into
our hole, we would have visibility until sunset, but the suns rays obscured,
the thick cloud behind down to the horizon. When the last beam of light came
through during maximum 20.33.42 p.m., I was already dismantling the camcorder,
so the last filming was very shaky by hand.
We packed up for the very tough ride back,
everyone nervous, the road to Chimo was difficult enough but now it would be
during dusk and into nightfall. At midnight we reached the hotel and had a
well-deserved beer with Derryl, Pam, and Michele. We watched the video over and
remembered the road to Chimo. The weather god may not have been with us all the
way, but the god of adventure certainly had been, and we were thankful for
that.
On our last day in Mexico we visited Teotihuacan,
pyramids of the sun and the moon. Ancient cultures are always fascinating and
this seems to round off the trip so neatly. Climbing up the pyramid del sol who
is always there, if not always visible, followed by climbing the pyramid de la
luna who predictably crosses the sun's path, and there we will all be again,
see you in Africa.
Special thanks goes to Derryl Barr who allowed us
to join him, the driving was incredibly tough, he was great. Report by Joanne Poitevin
Picture by Patrick Poitevin
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