Thailand, Cambodia brace for solar eclipse<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (Agencies): Thailand's flood-drenched northern and
\nnortheastern provinces are anticipating a deluge of tourists on
\nOct. 24, the date of an expected total solar eclipse, a news
\nreport said recently.<\/p>\n
The date has already drawn hotel bookings from around the
\nglobe. The Bangkok Planetarium has predicted that the total solar
\neclipse will be visible in Thailand for one or two minutes
\nbetween 10:40 and 11 a.m. on Oct.24, depending on the viewer's
\nlocation.<\/p>\n
The eclipse will cut a path from northwestern to northeastern
\nThailand, before continuing to Cambodia and southern Vietnam -
\nwhere eclipse fever is also high.<\/p>\n
In Thailand, the ten best locations for viewing the phenomenon
\nare the following provinces - Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Lop Buri,
\nNakorn Sawan, Phetchabun, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phichit, Sa Kaew,
\nUthai Thani and Buri Ram - all of which have been hard hit in
\nrecent months by floods, caused by unusually heavy monsoonal
\nrains and tropical storms.<\/p>\n
The eclipse will last longest in Nakhon Ratchasima's Khon Buri
\ndistrict, where it will be visible for one minute and 58 seconds,
\nThai astronomers have predicted.<\/p>\n
According to a survey conducted by The Nation, an English-
\nlanguage daily, all ten provinces have reported full bookings of
\nhotels for months in advance, and all are planning a host of
\neclipse-related money spinners, such as sales of heavily tinted
\neclipse peepers, books explaining the phenomenon and touristic
\nsideshows such as Thai boxing matches.<\/p>\n
The last total solar eclipse in Thailand occurred on June 2,
\n1955 and the next one is expected 75 years from now.<\/p>\n
In the old days, the area's residents believed a solar eclipse
\nwas caused bory Rahu, a mythical giant who tried to eat the sun.
\nVillagers set off firecrackers and made loud noises to scare the
\nsun-eater away.<\/p>\n
Today, instead of being a harbinger of disaster, the solar
\neclipse is likely to be a source of greater tourism revenues.<\/p>\n
Cambodia<\/p>\n
Visitors to Cambodia should be ready for a hail of bullets
\nwhen the moon eats the sun later this month.<\/p>\n
Superstition surrounds the total eclipse of the sun which some
\nexpect to be a crucial event -- be it good or evil -- for a
\ncountry struggling to shake off the after-effects of 25 years of
\nstrife.<\/p>\n
"You're going to see every Cambodian with a gun shooting at
\nthe moon, they're going to try and help the sun escape... we're
\ntalking about something akin to World War III," said one local
\nentrepreneur, who plans to cash in with commemorative goods.<\/p>\n
This home of Cambodian culture is bracing for an influx of
\neclipse-watchers. Top hotels here have been booked up for some
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Watchers are being advised to buy welding goggles or to use
\nglass smoked over a candle to avoid blindness from looking
\ndirectly at the eclipse.<\/p>\n
The authorities also want to prevent a fusillade greeting the
\neclipse -- but are not quite sure how.<\/p>\n
Siem Reap Governor Toan Chay told Reuters he must ensure
\nsoldiers, police and other gunowners keep the safety catches on
\ntheir weapons during the total eclipse of the sun, lasting one
\nminute 53 seconds, over the five towers of the 12th century
\nAngkor Wat temple.<\/p>\n
Chay must also warn peasants about the harmful effects of
\nlooking directly at the eclipse, due to begin at 10:58.39 a.m.
\n(03:58:39 GMT) on Oct. 24.<\/p>\n
Many questioned seemed unexcited -- but not hoteliers, travel
\nagents, journalists and the Tourism Ministry.<\/p>\n
"It couldn't have been designed better to give Cambodia a
\nboost," said New Zealand businessman Graham Cleghorn. "This is a
\nonce-in-a-lifetime event."<\/p>\n
The governor said he expected First Prime Minister Prince
\nNorodom Ranariddh to come and watch the solar eclipse, whose path
\ncrosses just north of the national symbol Angkor Wat.<\/p>\n
For hundreds of visitors, the eclipse merits flying to Siem
\nReap and booking into one of 14 hotels and 32 guest houses listed
\nby the Tourism Ministry.<\/p>\n
Thai and Cambodian travel agents are offering special three or
\nfour-day eclipse packages, with Switzerland's Diethelm Travel
\nasking $300 for flight and board from Oct. 23 to 25.<\/p>\n
Learng Juone, 60-year-old head monk of a temple next to Angkor
\nWat, said: "It's very rare. When I was young and an eclipse came
\nit was completely dark -- we couldn't see each other.<\/p>\n
"If the sun comes out of the mouth of the moon or the stomach,
\nthe country will be prosperous.<\/p>\n
"If the sun comes out of the bowels, it means danger for the
\ncountry, it means famine... the country will suffer disaster."<\/p>\n
At Kes Sararam temple in Siem Reap town, nun Lim Seap told
\nReuters that Buddhists believed an eclipse meant "something bad
\nin the past will change".<\/p>\n
She said old people had told her that if you tapped a tree
\nduring the phenomenon and shouted "fruit, fruit, fruit," a
\nbounteous crop would follow. Cows rapped thrice to shouts of
\n"fat, fat, fat" would gain weight.<\/p>\n
Governor Chay said locals had told him pregnant women must
\nplace a pot of lime in front of their belly as the moon crossed
\nthe sun to prevent giving birth to a mentally retarded child.<\/p>\n
"If you are building something and the construction is not
\nfinished, you should put a grass roof on your building". That, he
\nsaid, would ensure prosperity.<\/p>\n
He said those watching an eclipse in a bowl of water could
\ntell "the sun or the moon are very much afraid" if the liquid
\nshook. In that case, a drum should be beaten to help them escape.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thailand-cambodia-brace-for-solar-eclipse-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}