Issue with my Canon 300d / Digital Rebel

[pnp]

My camera started taking pictures with 3/4 of the screen (horizontaly) in black.
I took the lens and realized that one of the mirrors is not going up when you take the picture... It stays there and that's the 'black' in the picture. If I put it up manually, it takes the pictures Ok but it has no AUTOFOCUS.
Any tip regarding what to do or what's the problem?
(except from "take it to a camera repair store, as I'm travelling in small cities and I can't right now)?I'm going to be in Hong Kong soon and going to take it...

Thanks a lot!...

[Ellen]

I had the same problem with that camera back in the spring. With mine the camera stopped working in auto focus, only manual would work. I took it in for an estimate and was told it would cost $200 for repairs. The mirror hinge needed to be replaced. Because I had invested in several canon lenses, I bought another camera, the XT as a replacement. And I'm still stuck with a camera I can't use or sell without making the repairs...............