It’s always good to write while the memories are still fresh. I’m not questioning my faculties in anyway – just that I don’t want to miss the little details. Details of what I ate what the stewardess said and the guy who wore a funny cap (was there a guy in a funny cap?) – sigh!
Visa:
Let me start of with the biggest hassle for most of us Indians – the visa (even flight connectivity is not so bad these days from India. I am in California right now, just 1 hoop to jump).
So here is the list ( copy pasted from the email we got):
1. Valid passport (please send your passport)
2. Proof of legal status in the United States.
3. Proof of economic resources, copy of your checking bank statements for the last 3 months (with your name on it, please include all pages)
4. Letter of verification of employment.
5. Hotel reservation, (with your name on it)
6. Flight itinerary showing a round trip with your name on it issued by the airline, showing the date you enter and exit from Argentina.
7. color passport picture.
Visa free of charge. Please send a pre-paid postal service, U.S. post office, DHL, Fedex or UPS. If there is more than one person applying for the tourist visa, please send each application with all the above referred requirements
The Argentine consulate was in LA . so we had to mail in our passports and then wait for 10 days to get it back (10 days!) it was day 7, and I decided to make a random check. ( I do trust usps, but when a passport is in the cover, its good to question these services). The consulate general said exactly what I didn’t want to hear – “ I cant find you package”. It’s scary on many levels – where was my passport, what’s wrong with USPS, should I cancel my trip, do I have to drive to LA, will it come to filing a law suit, who should I sue..wait..i needed to find my passport. I was pretty sure she was talking while my mind was working on these, ut when it did stop I heard her say “can I have the last name again”. All hopeful, I gave her the details. She called back in a bit and confirmed it was indeed there, but that quite a few documents were missing.
As is written in the list of requirements if you send more than one application, you have to include with it another set of documents, you sent 2 applications with one set of documents, besides you have not include a copy of your last 3 months of bank statements including all pages.
For example – she needed a copy of the airline ticket for each of us ( though both our names were there on a single ticket). She wouldn’t just take a photocopy of the same. I had to scan it and send it. Noted. Next – the bank statement was reported missing. I packed it all – I definitely remember putting it there. Ok, so I shall scan and send that too. Next – photographs were missing ( what!!!!) I pretty much lost it at this point and asked her to empty the contents onto some kind of tray. Then somehow in minutes she found the photographs. It was going to take a couple of days to process it and then a couple of days for my passport to get back to me. The brazil visa was still pending . though the consulate was in SF, I still neede my passport.
That evening, we had all the docs re-scanned and sent to LA, and after that started pushing our trip by a week. We had to push about 5 hotel/ B&B reservations, tour reservations, airline tickets – a whole bunch. ( I am not even sure how it was done. Prashant just managed it)
Over the next couple of days , there was a lot of back & forth. – she said she needed a copy of the checking account statement, after having confirmed that she received everything and that it was good to process. In a nutshell, it was the most painful process. All for what – a 10 day visa. Yes, 10 days. It took longer for processing it!
Right after that the Brazil visa was a breeze. Here is all they asked for
1. Passport
2. Visa application form
3. Photograph
4. $20 per application
5. Travel initerary
The consulate was in San Francisco. I spent all of 20 mins there and paid only $20 ( Those of you on a us visa – Travel to Brazil before you get your GC – you can save $110 ;) ;) ) I love their reciprocity policy! Picked up my passport in about a week and we were good to go!
Fares and accoodation:
Prashant spent the last 2 months planning this trip. Getting the perfect accomodation (you'll see why!) , perfect things-t0-do, best fares etc. ( used to check fares everyday for a week, block-release. It actually swung across a $200 margin – and we did manage a good price) Our return fare was all of $774 – can’t even imagine it today. It has hardly been a year and prices have shot through the roof.
Packing:
It was for the first time that I was packing for multiple seasons. Buenos Aires was hot during the day and cold at night. Like October in the Bay Area . So let me call that fall. Rio was HOT – very summery. Iguazu – pleasant, rain foresty, butterflies , flowers, water – springy. And in Patagonia- we were hiking the glacier. So yeah – I know this sounds very tacky – but I did pack for 4 seasons!
Food research:
We are vegetarians ( no fish even!)
And we were visiting the Beef capital. Obviously, we had our concerns. Did a LOT of research, and you’ll be surprised with what awaited us. in fact some of the restaurants on the list we carried closed down, but we did manage to find some new gems. you'll find details. Here are some of the links though:
http://www.happycow.net/south_america/argentina/buenos_aires/
http://www.buenostours.com/buenos-aires-vegetarian-and-vegan-food
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jan/29/argentina.buenosaires.restaurants
http://www.happycow.net/south_america/brazil/rio_de_janeiro/
America – Del- sur, Here I come!!!
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