Low Visibility

That is me, in the Winter Park Crew jacket, looking at the ancient Chongquig City Hall. Weather.com said it was "sunny" but the smog was so thick that large buildings only a few blocks away (like the Chongquig City Hall, pictured here, about 300 yards in front of me) were visible only in outline. And buildings more than 1/2 mile away were invisible. Many people wore masks over their nose and mouth not to prevent the spread of flu but to try to filter out at least some of the stuff in the air. After more than an hour or so in this air, one gets a dull headache. I hear that respiratory diseases are much more common here.

In a country that makes many vivid impressions of all kinds, this one is the most vivid. It is like breathing through a damp musty wash cloth all the time.

These photos were taken on a clear day. The traffic shot was in evening rush hour.