shopping for hidden treasure

Chilly. Clean. Empty. Where did all of the signs go? Where did all of the cars go? Where did all of the people go? Sydney was so open, so empty compared to Tokyo and other parts of Japan, I almost felt agorophobic. It was quiet. It was eerie.

Near the waterfront, in an area called “The Rocks” there is an open air market. Over a hundred local artisans display their wares in a long, rather artisticly arranged row of tents. This is not a crafts fair. Many of the items are clever, useful and true works of art. Local people shop there, too. Since we were unable to carry a lot and didn’t want to start our trip over burdened, my husband purchased a bottle of chili sauce and I contented myself with acquiring buisness cards for future internet shopping.

A stop back at the hotel assurred us that our room still wasn’t ready, so we again hit the streets and headed for Chinatown via the shopping district. Sydney is a shopping Mecca – there are rows of interesting and trendy stores and beautiful arcades and malls. Bookhounds that we are, a stop at the Borders was mandatory to ooohhh and aaahhh over new titles and old titles that give us happy memories. On the way to Chinatown, we also passed several used bookstores – also sure to draw us like flies to a watermelon rind. We each have our used bookstore hunt. I search for the Man From UNCLE (I have them all, but am now looking for better copies) and Girl From UNCLE; he hunts for the final 2 Doom books and The Saint. We could get them all on Ebay, but it’s the searching that counts, the finding the prize under some box in some dusty old store and buying it for $1 or $2 (or better yet, finding it at a garage sale for 10 or 25 cents).

There is something about used bookstores, often dusty and lovingly disordered – you know they hide great treasure inside. The odor of old, dry paper is reminiscent of grass dried in the sun. The books are living books, filled not just with the words of the author, but with the essessence of all the people who have thumbed through. They are patiently waiting for another chance, waiting for someone to find them and enjoy them one more time. We didn’t find any paperback treasure in Sydney, but it wasn’t the only stop on our trip.

I hope you have a great day. 🙂