Shanghai is where China first met the west. Since then, it’s galloped off at a pace that the rest of the world is finding hard to keep up with. This bustling, thriving and ever growing metropolis is at the forefront of technology – the city continues to grow and develop at a rapid rate. Sky high buildings dot the skyline and are some of the city’s most iconic landmarks – along with shopping centres, modern architecture and designer bars and restaurants.
You might be wondering what the attraction is for backpackers …

With the RMB coins from heaven, I immediately dialed the Philippine Consulate Office. That’s when I realized that it was a Saturday and there was no office. I called a hostel instead and finally got someone who can speak English. What a relief! But her guess was as good as mine, that a tourist information center here is like most elected local government politicians: USELESS.
So I sat, lit a stick and tried drawing resolution from the nicotine rushing through my brain. Until I spotted a group of young policemen a …