Beijing

There was something not quite right about coming in to land at Beijing. The fact that we were still above the cloud with only two minutes to go, the way the on-board camera stopped working and showed a plain grey screen. Then out of that grey, vague city-like shapes appeared and seconds later we touched down. Smog. Of course... felt stupid not to have expected this, having heard so much about the city's smog problem.

Through the haze, Beijing looked buzzing as any Asian city, with its busy streets, bicycles with unlikely loads, odd moped-in-a-box vehicles, street vendors and shabby buildings with vibrant signs. Standing outside the hotel later in the evening, I breathed it in, the sights and sounds, the gentle warm humidity, the smells of cooking, and thought, I need to be in Asia.