Shanghai-ed!

I couldn't be happier having gotten rid of August, the funky ghost month that had more than just the planets misaligned. In the end, the forces of the universe proved too much to be reckoned with and I folded. It was a waiting game with the hours and the days crawling past until I could shake off dust and set out on my next adventure.

Beijing’s initiation served to dull the anxiety of heading East again. Despite lacking my usually stringent pre-prep, I loaded up just a few hours before flight and took off with my trusty Mini Shanghai Explorer tucked beneath my arm.

An airplane, Maglev and Metro ride later, my 10kg backpack and I are finally back in China.

LE TOUR TRAVELER's REST off Jiaozhou Lu is home for now. A former factory then vegetable market, the renovation managed to maintain its charming character with brick and medi-walls, rooftop dining area, internet lounge and entertainment hall. Online research landed me the cleanest of the hostels I have stayed in, plus I have the penthouse.

I actually get luckier. Eric Pambid and Tim Fortaleza, friends from Manila who have made the former French Concession their home, are not only proficient in Mandarin but are Chinese food-ies as well. Last night was a Sichuan feast and my introduction to more varieties of chilies than I thought existed. Then there are the egg tarts.

Equipped with NI HAO and XIE XIE, I now venture out into China's largest city.