Tourists from all over the world come to San Antonio to watch the solar eclipse.

April’s solar eclipse draws millions of people from all over the world to Texas. I happened to run into one of the San Antonio visitors after seeing a post on her Facebook page called “Ask a Local.” New Zealander Carolyn Timarchos posted about driving from San Antonio to Stonehenge II in Ingram for the eclipse.

“You know, God bless the American people,” Timarchos joked on the Zoom call. “We can’t go to Stonehenge, so we’ll just build it here.”

Intrigued by the idea of ​​observing celestial events in such a unique location, she planned a trek to San Antonio and then Ingram several years ago.

“This one is rocky in the middle.” [of the eclipse path]So I feel like it was intentionally created for the 2024 solar eclipse. ” Timarchus quipped.

However, this is not Timarchus’ first total solar eclipse. She traveled to the United States in 2017 to see her last film in Missouri.

“A total solar eclipse is truly amazing,” she recalled.

It was an experience that convinced her she would be back for this eclipse.

“All the crickets will start chirping, all the birds will start chirping at dusk, and then the birds as a whole will go to sleep,” Timarchos said.

So Timarchus wanted more, knew he needed to act quickly, and began planning for the 2024 eclipse years in advance.

“I got on a very early flight from Auckland to Houston and booked it for NZ$760, which is the equivalent of $500 in American dollars. It was very cheap,” Timarchos said.

But the flight home was much more expensive, she said. The same was true for many accommodations.

“Originally, I was planning on staying in Ingram, but when I first discovered the town, there were three Airbnbs there, and I think they were about $50 to $60 a night. Oh, sweetie, I’m staying there. So I tried to book one night, and it was $3,500 a night. So, I was like, there’s an RV park 30 minutes down the road, and there’s no power. It was about $28 a night, so I thought it was okay. [They were asking] It costs $15,000 a night to camp without power on the night of the eclipse,” said an animated Timarchos.

Eventually, she discovered she could camp at Stonehenge II for $140 per ticket for four people. This brings me back to the original post. She was suggesting barter. She has two tickets to ride (her friend from Chicago is also planning to join her). She immediately received the message.

“Jordan contacted me and he’s actually British,” Timarchos explained. “But he’s lived in San Antonio for 15 years. And he said, ‘Yes, you can.’ He can give you a ride. no problem. “

As it turns out, Jordan was a local comedian and YouTube personality who wanted to document the eclipse. Everything went well for Timarchus. She will be joined by visitors from around the world who have chosen San Antonio as their eclipse destination.