Well, after equal parts subterfuge, sweet talk, and dosh, I finally have my visa to go to Brazil. My (very rough) plan is to leave BsAs (alas) next week, head to Uruguay for a few days, then on to Brazil. My cousin Josh is going to meet me in São Paulo on the 16th and we will go to Rio from there, and I don’t want to retrace my steps more than necessary so I will probably head north to Salvador, stopping in some places along the way. But who really knows? Like most times, I will just play it by ear. Anyone in the know out there have any suggestions of things not to miss in Brazil?
So that’s why Gilliam named his movie “Brazil”.
My trip to the Brazilian consulate this morning was an exercise in frustration, and didn’t really make me feel encouraged to visit the country. I arrived with what I thought was proper documentation: My passport, filled out form, photos, vaccination, bank records and loads of cash to pay the visa fee. The pinched woman behind the glass (bullet proof glass it seemed, and after dealing with her I can understand why) asked me where I would be staying in Brazil. I told her that I didn’t know precisely, but that I hoped to visit Sao Paulo, Rio, and Salvador. She then asked to see my proof of transport into and out of the country, and I informed her that I wasn’t sure exactly when and where I would be entering the country, but that it would be near the end of November, leaving near the end of December. She then informed me that without this information, she would not even submit my visa application to be processed as it would surely be refused. Bewildered, I asked if it didn’t strain credibility just a little to think that no one ever enters Brazil without having this precise a plan? Is there no room in the bureaucracy for some leeway in planning? I am on vacation after all. She pursed her lips, said “No.”, and pushed my docs back under the glass.
So I am a little unsure of what do do now. I can probably come up with an address of a friend in Brazil to fill out the “where are you staying” part of the application. But the ticket in/out is a little harder. It would mean that I would have to make a decision about those dates exactly right now, which I am loathe to do. I realize that part of the reason this exchange had me somewhat annoyed is that it touches on one of the things I find problematic with modern life: The obsession with planning and precision. It sucks most of the joy out of life, especially when related to travel. It leaves nothing to chance or the imagination, and is the sterilized, pre-packaged world we increasingly live in. This world is increasingly estranged from the possibility of appreciating a changing and organic life experience.
This is odd. Upon checking the visa requirements for my upcoming trip to South America, I realized that I would need a visa for Bolivia and another for Brazil. These requirements are basically to punish the US for the cost and hassle that citizens of these countries must undergo to come here, and I think they are right to do so until the US changes its visa requirements. Anyway, I dutifully got my passport photos and filled out the forms I had downloaded from each respective embassy’s website. I made my way to the Bolivian consulate yesterday, where they told me that they had “run out of” visas for the foreseeable future, and that I could just get mine when entering the country from Peru. And when I called the Brazilian consulate today to ask about the exact visa fee, I was told that once obtained, the visa must be used for the first time within 90 days of issuance or it would expire. That means it would be worthless to me, and so I will need to get my Brazilian visa when I am in Argentina. Aren’t you glad I am here to share these valuable travel tips with you all (both of you)?