When I entered Argentina, I filled out some perfunctory form with a scratchy pen, handed over my passport and some immigration functionary scanned my credit card for the $140 entrance fee for US citizens. Not cheap, but easy.
Brazil would be a whole other story. I first found out a visa would be required to enter Brazil a couple of days before I left LA. When I contacted the Brazilian Consulate in LA I was told it would be impossible to process an application with such short notice and that I should consider postponing my trip. Then I ran some Internet searches and discovered one could get a visa in one day in Iguazu which is on the Argentina-Brazil border. That immediately became part of my itinerary (plus I certainly did want to see the amazing waterfalls).
Upon arrival in Iguazu, I discovered the consulate was closed and wouldn't open until the next morning. Yesterday morning I blasted out of bed and found my way over to the Brazilian consulate. There an elderly man, looked over my paperwork (a print out from filling out an online form) and told me I'd need a photo and 588 pesos (the exchange equivalent of $140). The one visa photo shop in Iguazu wasn't yet open--plus I didn't know where it was. Eventually I found it and the requisite number of pesos and got back to the consulate-assistant who then carefully copied my passport number onto a piece of paper which he then handed to me. He then told me my visa would be ready the next day. Life is good when the hoops one needs to get through are manageable and findable...
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