"BEAUTIFUL BEIJING!" a Beijing Travel Page by mavl

that's because i couldn't see anything from the airplane window, the haze was so unbelievably thick! i remember thinking to myself, "wow, the cloud cover is extensive today, can't wait for the plane to go below it so i can see the city from the air."

two seconds later, the plane touched down.

the haze wrapped the city in mystery, making the experience of seeing everything i learned about in my architectural history lessons even more surreal.

it also made me cough a lot.

i didn't see the sun the whole time i was there, it even drizzled quite a bit.

the ring road scheme is more distinct than the grids of recent western US cities but still confuses.

it was crowded everywhere, you could really tell over a sixth of the world's population was right beside you.

there were construction sites all around.

and, yet, something about this cradle of civilization jumped out at me from the very moment i stepped out of the airport and into the haze. the 5000 years of history were calling to me from between its massive new buildings even before i glimpsed the forbidden city.

i fell in love with beijing! instantly!