Up at the crack of dawn, I’m heading to Singapore to see the solar eclipse. The border crossing was terrible, it was rush hour. It took around two hours to get through to the metro station of Woodside in Singapore. I bought a tourist pass and then I headed to the Science Centre to try and buy some Solar glasses. They place was hoachin’ when I arrived and the bad news was that there were no glasses left. Bugger.

But first lunch

I left and walked for the next hour trying the shopping malls nearby but nothing. The eclipse had begun by this time and then I saw a guy wearing the glasses, he offered me a look. I was surprised to find that I could barely make anything out. I thanked him and headed back towards the metro station. I might as well get near to the transport just in case this is a total waste of time.

I saw a McDonald’s and thought I’d stop in for a coffee. As I stood outside I looked up to the sky through the glass awning and to my surprise I could see the sun with the shadow of the moon crossing it as clear as day. With my polarised specs I could see it perfectly. The awning seemed to be filtering out the glare and so you could look at it comfortably without having to squint. The pictures that I have here were taken on my phone but I took a few on my camera but I haven’t got my computer with me so I can’t download them yet.

A crowd soon gathered and before you know it the eclipse was in full swing. It was an amazing thing to see but for some reason I also expected to have total darkness but I’ve since learned that I witnessed an annular eclipse and not a total eclipse which I hope I will be able to see one day.

Later I went for a 10 km walk and then headed back to the hotel. A busy day but a good day.

Oh and the Chinese means,

The Sky Dog eats the sun.