Beijing 1

I decided about a year ago that when I completed my 3000 internship hours, I would celebrate and take a trip to see a bestie in Beijing and to then visit Seoul. So far so great! I will start with a few experiences from Beijing day 1.

When I landed at Beijing airport, and stepped onto that makeshift hallway thingie from the plane to the terminal, I thought there was a fire somewhere. The thick smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Then I recalled what my friend said about the air pollution being hazardous in Beijing. "No way," I thought, "This smell can't possibly be pollution. It's pretty much the same thing as sitting next to a campfire!" Sure enough, my friend confirmed that's the pollution I was smelling. Ack! "Don't worry," my friend said, "I have plenty of masks you can wear."

My friend asked me what I wanted to do during my stay. I told him I wanted to do what the locals do. So the next morning we went to a park, and lo, what did I see? What looked like 200 locals in line formation following a lady wearing a black outfit. Dancing.

So what did I do?

No really, dear God what did I do? Did you see the death stare the dude next to me gave me?

In my benevolence, I shall not leave you with an image of me dancing. Instead, here is a burst of fall from within the same park: