<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BobMcD:
If they're being so strict and arbitrary in denying visas or fining leisure travelers, maybe it would be useful for those of us with a choice to spend our money in other countries. There are lots of alternative destinations both in South America and elsewhere in the world where the immigration authorities are more friendly to tourists.
Just an idea...</font>
Agreed. Santiago and Buenos Aires are both beautiful cities that seem very eager to take my tourist dollars and don't even bat an eye when I enter the country for a short weekend trip. Rio is going to have to be one hell of a city to make it worth all this hassle.
Anyways, I just fired off a letter to the Consulate and a letter from my boss on company letterhead that says that I'm not travelling on business and not representing our company. I'll let everyone know how things go.
This is rapidly becoming not worth the hassle and the cost (nearly $200 including the visa service and Fedex costs).