Our first stop was Shanghai (via Seoul) where we stayed for a night at the Shanghai Hilton (right).

Shanghai Skyline, as seen from our 24th floor room. Select 'O' (Original) size to see the full-sized panorama.

Moon & Venus over Shanghai -- the product of jet lag (taken at 4AM). Mostly clear skies raised our hopes for seeing the eclipse we had come for, but generally the weather was looking bad for much of Asia.

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Yu Garden (Shanghai)

Outside a restaurant near the Yu Garden.

West Lake (Hangzhou)

West Lake (Hangzhou)

Tea tasting at the Hangzhou Tea Plantation

Observing site panorama showing the eclipse observers setting up. Select 'O' (Original) size to see the full-sized panorama.

Pinhole projection images taken a few minutes before totality. Jean created an elaborate pattern for this eclipse, but unfortunately, the hazy sky prevented us from seeing it clearly. On the other hand, we *did* see the eclipse. Many others who traveled to China for the eclipse saw only cloudy skies!

Diamond ring at the start of totality.

Diamond ring resolves into a triple-diamond ring.

Unfortunately, only some small prominences were visible for this eclipse.

Composited image showing coronal extensions. One of the disappointments of this eclipse was the hazy sky, which made it impossible to photograph the full extent of the corona.

End of eclipse. 5-1/2 minutes seemed to flash by in seconds!

Tai Chi at Wangjiang Lou Park in Chengdu.

Young panda at the Bi Feng Xia Panda Research Base outside Chengdu.

Jokhang Temple and Clouds of Incense

Pilgrims at Jokhang Temple

Jokhang Temple rooftop view with Potala Palace in the background.

Barkhor Street Market (Lhasa)

Yak butter for sale. It is used by pilgrims to feed the many candles in the temples.

Potala Palace, the winter home of the Dalai Lama. Select 'O' (Original) size to see the full-sized panorama.

Potala Palace - The climb is harder than it looks! Remember that the elevation is around 12,000 ft.

Photography in Potala Palace is limited. This is typical of what is inside the maze of rooms in this combination of living areas and numerous worship areas.

Norbulingka Summer Palace, the summer home of the Dalai Lama.

Sera Monastery

Yamdrok Lake Viewpoint. Select 'O' (Original) size to see the full-sized panorama.

Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo Monastery

Qomolungma National Nature Preserve Entrance. Prayer flags virtually enshroud the entrance gate, as they do at every other roadside stopping point with something tall nearby, whether man-made or natural.

Highest point of the trip - 17,251 ft.

Viewing glaciers on nearby peaks. Select 'O' (Original) size to see the full-sized panorama.

Waiting for the Clouds to Clear. We spent a couple of hours here, above 17,000 feet, hoping for a first and possibly only glimpse of Mt. Everest. We have a lot of pictures of a partially obscured range of mountains!

Himalayan Sea Fossils for Sale. No, they're not fakes. This area used to be under water before the Indian sub-continent pushed into Asia and uplifted the Himalayas.

The "Glory". A bank of thin clouds pushed thriough the pass while we were waiting for a glimpse of Mt. Everest giving us a little bonus. The "Glory" (its real name) is an optical phenomenon created by reflection and refraction of sunlight from small water drops.

First Glimpse of Mt. Everest