Planning...

I have begun the arduous process of taking care of the numerous details that accompany a six week trip.

The most important of which was getting a Brazilian visa. Because the United States, for some reason, feels it is necessary to charge Brazilian Citizens $100 to come to this country, they have decided to have a reciprocal fee for US citizens visiting their country. Eye for an eye I guess, which really is fair. The thing that drove me nuts about the process of applying for a visa is that you have to apply to the proper consulate based upon where you live. For me, living in Hawaii, that is the consulate in Beverly Hills, California. No problem I thought. I will just mail it off like I did when I went to Kenya and Vietnam. Wrong! They do not accept applications by mail. Ok, so now what? That's right, a visa service company. These are companies which you mail all of your materials to and they submit your passport to the consulate. They charged me $60. Oh, and because neither I, nor a direct relative, is submitting the passport I have to pay the Brazilian Consulate an additional $10. But wait, that is not the last of it. I also have to cover the cost of FedEx'ing my materials back and forth from Hawaii which is at least another $30. So, all told, just getting the visa to go to Brazil is going to total up to about $200. In sum, who cares? Not me. $200 for a visa is totally worth it to get to spend six weeks cruising around South America.

Other things to take care of include:

1. Buying travel insurance.
2. Calling my accountant to let him know that I am not going to be able to sign any tax documents after March 29th.
3. Going to the doctor for a travel consult.
4. Getting travelers cheques.
5. Deciding whether or not to even bother taking real shoes.
6. Going to Longs to get all of the necessary toiletries and sundries. (I am hoping that I have been at this traveling thing long enough that I would be able to get everything I need in one shopping trip this time.)
7. Taking care of my auto insurance. (I get a break for being gone for more than a month.)
8. Dealing with the cell phone...
   

I will be certain to keep you apprised of the progress as it gets closer to departure time. Please feel free to drop any hints, tips, or suggestions into the comments section. Particularly if they concern surviving in the concrete jungle that is Rio or the natural jungle that is the Amazon.