红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

All roads lead to Roma . Santa Maria Maggiore Originally uploaded by yisu9 My hostel, The Yellow , was a decent one. As one of the reviewers puts it: "This is your typical big hostel." Not my favorite type, but well organized and clean. Most importantly, it was conveniently located near the train station. I started my day walking towards downtown. The first major church on the way was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore . Santa Maria Statue Originally uploaded by yisu9 It was one of the papal churches, which means that it must be well maintained because the Pope is one of the richest guys in town. Inside Santa Maria Maggiore Originally uploaded by yisu9 I didn't spend too much time inside because I knew it was going to be a busy day. Roma Street Originally uploaded by yisu9 The streets of Roma had their unique charm: Cozy, sometimes chaotic. Traffic Light Originally uploaded by yisu9 Look at this traffic light, isn't ...

Thanks to digital photography and Internet, I was able to show you, my dear friends, how a dust storm in Beijing was like. Dust Storm in Beijing Originally uploaded by yisu79 , courtesy of Xiaoxing This was taken at 09:42:02, 05/03/2008. Dust Storm in Beijing: After Originally uploaded by yisu79 , courtesy of Xiaoxing This was taken at 10:36:58, 05/03/2008. To preserve the authenticity, I didn't do any post-processing at all. Beijing just celebrated 100 days countdown to the Olympic Games. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I am speechless. PS, to learn more about China's environmental crisis, check out "Choking on Growth" from New York Times and "Bitter Waters" from National Geographic Magazine.