God laughs at my plans

'It's so smoky today the pilots wont be able to see!' joked Jenya as we approached the Ulaan Baatar airport.
'Why do you say that?' I teased him 'Now I'll worry.'
'Don't worry. They can fly with their eyes closed.'

But apparently they can't.

The pollution in Ulaan Baatar was so thick that the first of the three planes I was due to catch today couldn't land. Which meant missing both connecting flights by the time I finally reached Beijing. My original plan way back when all this was a piece of paper on my desk had been to include Beijing, and I had changed that plan to spend more time in Mongolia. As my Russian guide in St Petersburg had said to me some weeks back

'If you want God to laugh at you, show him your plans'

Well, God sure is having a laugh at me today and it seems I am destined to spend at least one day in china's capital. I've had a good cry tonight and am starting to orient myself into the unknown. Perhaps tomorrow will reveal why I'm here.

The next flight out is on Tuesday, and with a day to spare I hope to see the Great Wall. I was going to write 'I plan to see the Great Wall', however plans seem to be something I am best off avoiding at the moment.