This was the view from my office in Beijing this afternoon. During the middle of the day, there was no sun, no clouds, no horizon in the distance -- just thick pollution. Thick, thick pollution.

Before moving here I'd read about the air, but didn't quite grasp the reality until confronted by its marvels in person. I'd seen what I thought was bad pollution in places like Karachi. That was a haze, a smog, a definable piece of the sky. This is more like a wall, something almost solid, that starts in the heavens far above and stretches all the way down to the pavement.

Flying into Beijing on a bad day, it is impressive how long it takes a plane to descend through the murk to the ground below. The seconds pass by, and one begins to wonder where one is headed, exactly.

In the picture you'll notice that the road seems to just disappear. The buildings in the distance are also unaccounted for. Again, one begins to worry.

While on Twitter, I click on an air quality monitoring site (@BeijingAir) for the capital. The verdict often reads: "Very Unhealthy." Meaning? Apparently this: "Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects."

I haven't had any respiratory problems, although there is a certain sensation in the lungs now and then. When my wife moved here she woke up one morning after a bad dream in which she'd started smoking cigarettes.

Of course there are also sunny afternoons here. Perhaps until then, I should practice holding my breath.