Senegal in Brazil

I took advantage of a trip downtown today to look for a new memory card for the camera – something went horribly wrong with the original one and part, or parts, of it had broken off, possibly inside the camera. Wasn’t too impressed with the price at the first stall and shock ensued at their estimate of what the technician was likely to charge for checking things out. So I went on my way, disconsolate.
 
However, I found I was passing the shop that had overhauled my Sony and its lenses, so I dropped in on the offchance. Magic ensued –the owner peered inside the card slot through his nifty headband magnifying glass, then disappeared into the back room. Five minutes later he emerged with a working camera, having extracted the erring bit of card – and wouldn’t charge me a cent. I had to give him a kiss, then kissed him again enthusiastically on both cheeks as he showed me out. This time I couldn’t keep the smile of my face, though it was fading slightly by the time I finished trudging round the city.
 
I do love the downtown area – there is so much colour and movement, and always an incredible number of people moving around. Heaven knows what they are all up to. Then there are the ‘camelôs’, the street sellers, with their wares laid out on cloths on the pavement, and the warren of stalls and narrow streets that make up the Saara area – so named because originally the shop keepers were all Arabs, Syrian and Lebanese. Nowadays, most of the shops are owned or run by Koreans and Chinese.
 

While searching for an address, I came across the delightful gentleman in the photo. He’s Senegalese and has been coming back and forth from Senegal to Brazil for 12 years with his merchandise. I wound up buying two mother-of-pearl necklaces (extra photo) and would happily have bought more, and also stayed talking to him for longer, but it was nearly 3:30 pm and the tasty lunch I had put in the oven before leaving home was calling out to me. 

Don’t you think his outfit knocks spots off the strange things men dress themselves in these days – black suits in a tropical country being particularly out of place?