Well here I am again booking travel for another international trip just one year after my Australia and Indonesia trip, and six years after my very first trip abroad to Europe! This year, the destinations are Brazil and Argentina in South America. My job is taking me to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for an international security conference, and I'm staying an extra week to explore a bit more of South America, including Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Amazon rainforest! My friend from DC, Lauren Klein, will be my travel buddy the whole trip. I'm stoked. I've got my vaccinations and visa, now I'm ready for vacation!
My adventures began when I went to get my visa last month. Since I live in Baltimore now, I drove down to DC to the Brazilian consulate to drop off all of my paperwork. It typically takes about 10 days to get a visa. Because I recently found out that I'm going to Canada for work just days before I leave for Brazil, I needed my passport back earlier than I had originally planned for. I was cutting it pretty close by the time I had all of my paperwork together...
The Brazilian consulate is much like the DMV. I took a number and waited about 25 minutes for my turn at the counter to submit my visa application. I had gone through the visa paperwork checklist at least 10 times before I left my house, ensuring I had everything in order. When it was my turn, the woman clerk first quickly looked through my passport and said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have an empty page in your passport for us to put in your visa." My heart stopped. If I didn't have an empty page, I would have to get some sort of amendment to my passport or even worse, a whole new passport. That could take weeks which would mean no South America for me! I told her I had seen an empty page, but was immediately sweating bullets. I asked her to look again, and thankfully, she found the empty page I had seen before. Whew! After leafing through the rest of my papers, she told me to come back on Feb. 24 and it would be ready.
I stayed with my friend, Renee DeLuca, in DC the night of Feb. 23 specifically to pick up my visa on Friday, the day it was due. I pulled up to the consulate in the morning around 9:15 and put my hazards on. It was rush hour, and no one is allowed to park there until 9:30, but there was a semi truck parked with his hazards on too, so what difference did it make to have my little Civic parked right in front of him 15 mins before legally allowed? I took a number inside the consulate and waited 10 minutes for my turn, staring out the window to be sure I wasn't getting a ticket. Thankfully, there were no police to be found.
I went to the counter to find that my visa wasn't done due to a "system error". I panicked and asked when it would be done, and the gentleman assured me it would be done Monday. I walked out of there frustrated already that I wasn't leaving with my visa and that I'd have to drive to DC again the following week, but then I walked outside to find a police officer writing me a ticket. I ran over to him and begged and pleaded to let me go. By this time, is was merely minutes before 9:30. He said he'd driven by 5 times and my car had been parked there each time. He was saving my car for last since I had my hazards on though. I told him I parked there thinking it would take just a minute to get my visa and that the 18 wheeler was more of a problem than my little Honda. He cut me off and told me not to make excuses and blame others for my illegal actions. Didn't I see that it was rush hour and all of these honking cars were being held up because of me? He proceeded to tell me that he already called the tow truck to get my car. My heart stopped. Again. I didn't know it was a tow zone! He pointed to the top of the 3 signs posted, and sure enough, it was. I was on the verge of tears when he finally put his notepad away, told me to get out of there and never do it again. I've been thanking Jesus ever since.
Thankfully, I picked up my passport this week, and it's good to go! I got my yellow fever and typhoid vaccines, and now I just need to get my malaria pills. Lauren and I are wrapping up all of our accommodations and tours this week and we booked our tours to see the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue (aka Big Jesus) in Rio today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_(statue) I leave one week from this very moment, and I'll see Big Jesus a week from tomorrow. I'm so incredibly blessed.
Soooo exciting! Such drama already! Can't wait to hear of your travels, Gulliver!
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