Program 749: Totally Eclipsed; Mekong Paddle Pilgrim; Strange Food

A nature filmmaker and self-proclaimed "umbraphile" shares tips for viewing the next total solar eclipse, when the moon will cast its otherworldly shadow on a narrow band across North America on April 8 — and explains why he thinks it’s worth a trek to the totality zone. Then the "Paddle Pilgrim" returns to tell us about the unexpected challenges along his month-long Southeast Asian adventure kayaking down the Mekong River, where he was forced to learn to "linger with the lotus." And Cecily Wong from Atlas Obscura describes some of the strangest potions and fermented foods concocted before the era of refrigeration.

• Filmmaker Mike Day, author of "The World Has a Big Backyard: Adventure Travel Stories from an IMAX Documentary Filmmaker" (Wise Ink Creative Publishers)
• David Ellingson, author of the "Paddle Pilgrim" book series (self-published)
• Cecily Wong, co-author of "Gastro Obscura" (Workman)

• Mike Day writes about his travel experiences, producing more than a dozen nature documentaries in the large-screen IMAX format, in his book, The World Has a Big Backyard: Adventure Travel Stories from an IMAX Documentary Filmmaker.
• The Ball State University planetarium in Muncie, Indiana has information for viewing the April 8 total eclipse.
• Atlas Obscura is hosting an eclipse-themed festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and has a number of eclipse-related stories in the Countdown to the Eclipse section of their website.
• David Ellingson has written a new title in his Paddle Pilgrim series, about his kayaking adventures down the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. His earlier titles detail his experiences and reflections on his kayaking trips in North America and Norway. A 20-minute video about Dave's adventure, Down the Mekong: Voyage of Discovery, is posted on YouTube.
• Cecily Wong co-authored the Gastro Obscura guide from Atlas Obscura, which describes some 500 food oddities from around the world.

Pgm #749 Haiku Awards

In Trafalgar Square
like a military band
pigeons still parade
— Royal Rhodes, Gambier, Ohio

My Mum mashed our tea
In her Mum's old brown teapot —
Best cuppa ever
— Christine San Jose, Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Two hats by the door
One straw one fleece with ear flaps
Spring in Laramie
— Diana Kupolos, Wyoming

Outside Space Mountain
I saw an actual mouse
The future is now
— Daniel Roberts, New York, New York