When we got within 50 miles of Beijing we couldn't see the ground. It wasn't clouds, fog, or weather, it was pollution. I've never seen anything like it. I've dropped into los angeles before and felt this same feeling of grossness. When you notice that final layer of brown before touching down, but this isn't a layer. You literally can't see the sky or the ground for hundreds of miles. Below the ground becomes a blur, above the sky is a shimmer of faint blue. It's really gross. Not as gross as the old Chinese woman throwing up in a barf bag next to me. But having made friends with her, it's less disgusting. When was the last time you threw up in a bag? I remember throwing up in the back seat of a cop car a few years ago, but that was to get back at the cop by puking all over his squad car. Dick move, I know, but why was he arresting someone for walking home. Anyway, final approach, now below the smog. Beijing looks like one gigantic sprawl. An LA times infinity. I'm glad that I am able to see this. What we as humans create.
Roughest landing I've ever had. It felt like I was the pilot landing a fucking Cessna. Back and forth with the brakes and rudder. WTF AirChina? You got a rookie at the wheel, or is that just what landing a full size 747 feels like?
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