Dealing with Details in Sao Paolo

I arrived in Sao Paulo a bit disheveled and my couchsurfing host, Rosaly, did much to help me straighten stuff out. First I felt messy and sweaty from the 17 hour bus ride and immediately was invited to take a shower. Then I had a suitcase full of dirty clothes which also got addressed. Her washing machine was a bit iffy so the stuff that came out spotty got taken downstairs to the very efficient Lavanderia.

The next day after sleeping off the bus ride (I vowed to if at all possible to avoid "semi-cama collectivos" especially without a blanket...) I ventured over to one of Sao Paulo's top museums, MASP (Museo del Arte de San Paolo). The art and culture scene here is fantastic. Not a tourist-oriented city -- but an absolutely sophisticated one. Being here reminds me much of Manhattan with a super-extensive subway system - and much emphasis on fashion, high culture, etc.

I tried to take a picture with my beloved 6 megapixel Canon Elph and lo and behold the lens would not extend properly. I restarted it many times to no avail. While travelling the camera is my notepad...an extension of me. For it to not be working was absolutely devastating. I went searching for an electronics shop and all I could find were parking garages and eateries. There were kilo restaurants, cafes, fast food (spelled that way in English), Japanese restaurants, Starbucks (yes they're here in semi-abundance). Finally I found a small version of a Best Buy type shop and showed a salesperson my camera. They don't fix cameras -- only sell new ones. I could buy an updated version of my camera for around $800.

I figured I'd keep looking. Eventually I found my way to a camera repair shop (in the Se downtown area). It was on the 8th floor looking over downtown. I was told it would take several days to repair it -- they'd have to take it apart, etc. I was devastated. I wasn't going to wait around Sao Paulo for an iffy repair job - perhaps I should bite the bullet and just buy a new one. I'd noticed that Wallmart is in Sao Paulo and queried about their prices. No, I was told -- they're not cheap here. Eventually I wandered into a spiritualist shop and witnessed a woman who looked quite possessed as she was gathering up candles for her next ritual. I took a whiff of her energy and walked outside. I looked over a view of pinkish clouds hanging over an overpass. It was beautiful. I wanted that picture. I took out my camera and began pushing at the errant lens and suddenly it retracted properly..and then extended properly and suddenly all was okay!