The bridge shoots straight as an arrow into the mist. As I pass the first pillar, the surrounding landscape starts fading out of view. A quick glance to the right reveals the faint outline of an enormous temple complex – must be Fo Guang Shan – backlit by a hazy sun. Soon it disappears into the mist behind me, and with that the last landmark is gone. I can see from the GPS that we’re crossing a river but from here it’s completely invisible; I can’t even guess how high up we are or how far we are from the bank. The other cars seem to vanish in the periphery, it’s just us and the bridge, like driving through a formless void. Suddenly a flock of white birds rises up from below, a flash of life in the grey. They pass overhead, then disappear back into the fog. We’re once more alone and disoriented in the void.