Treasure Hunting

As planned, Mike and I ventured over to Pudong (across the river) on Saturday morning in search of the antique market we had read about on a fellow Shanghai cyclist's blog. Bike riding in Pudong was lovely: the streets were wide open and empty, rendering the bike lane nice, certainly, but unnecessary.

We rode alongside a number of buildings that had been erected for the 2010 World Expo -- something we had done before, but on the other side of the river (our side, Puxi). Representing different exhibiting countries, each building is unique in its size, shape, color, and design. But with the Expo long over, many of these buildings are now abandoned and lifeless. The scene was eerie at times, especially given it looked like this only a few years ago.  

Credit goes to Mike and his sense of direction; after veering off the empty roads and making a few turns onto more crowded streets, we reached our destination by turning right down a dirt path. Come to find out it wasn't so much a market as it was a large, one-story room.

It didn't look like much from the outside, but once you walked inside, the room quickly turned into a warehouse -- with stuff piled on top of stuff, and more stuff in every direction you'd turn. Narrow pathways led you to the back and to either side of the cold, dark warehouse that held years' worth of junk and treasures. I kept thinking of the field day reality TV characters (on shows like Spike's "Auction Hunters" or The Discovery Channel's "Dirty Money") would have at a place like this.  

We scoped it out and quickly decided to come back the next day with Bob. Treasures we found on this hunt: two bamboo ladders and an old watering jug made of cherry wood. The plan is to restore them (project!) and go huntin' again soon.