Due to problems with travel documentation, our recent trip to South America was a disaster.  This letter is to inform you about our traumatic travel experience and to let other travelers be aware when traveling to Brazil and how rude are the Brazilian officials.

Upon arrival in Brazil on December 24, 2008, we were detained by Customs and Immigration at the Rio De Janiero Airport.  We were denied entry into the country as a result of the fact that our visas had expired.  We were informed by Customs and Immigration that we should have entered Brazil within ninety days of the visa issuance date.  Delta agents in Seattle and in Atlanta never informed us that our visas had expired.  We were told by Brazilian Customs and Immigration officials to go back to the United States on the next Delta flight, thirteen hours later.  However, the Delta representative at the Rio De Janiero airport suggested we could go to the Brazilian Consulate in Argentina, where we could renew our visas.  We chose the Argentina option.  Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, we were informed that the Visas could not be reissued until January 8, 2009, at the earliest.  Therefore, we could not return to Brazil.  Instead, we made alternate arrangements to spend our vacation in Argentina.

The visas for our trip to Brazil were issued by the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco.  As part of Visa issuing process, we had provided our travel itinerary to Brazilian Consulate and Visa Pro in San Francisco showing that we were scheduled to enter Brazil on December 23, 2008.  The Visas were issued on September 19, 2008, but were not delivered to us until early October. 

This was a very traumatic experience for us because we were held in the airport for eight hours (Brazilian officials at the airport took the possession of our luggage and passports) under guards and not allowed to communicate with our son, Mark, who was traveling with us and had appropriate documentation, so they forced him to leave airport and kept us away from any contacts with him. We finally were able to contact him through text messages to inform him where to go in Rio De Janiero.  We were treated very rudely by the Brazilian officials and the Delta agent that was addressing our situation and they didn’t handle us in a respectable and professional manner. 

When we arrived in Buenos Aires, we found the following items were missing from our luggage:

1.      Box of cigars. – estimated value of $450.00

2.      Gucci sunglasses - $400.00

3.      SPC speakers - $300.00

4.      European converter, cell phone charger - $90

As a result of errors on the part of the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco we have suffered extensive damages which include:

1.      $12,540.00 in non refundable hotel charges in Brazil for two rooms

2.      $1530.00 in additional airfare

3.      $2500.00 for telephone calls made in an attempt to mitigate the damages.

It was also our understanding that airlines are required to ensure that all documentation is in order to allow United States citizens to board flights destined for countries requiring visas, such as Brazil.   If we had been notified of the discrepancy in Seattle or Atlanta, we could have taken actions to correct the matter before leaving the United States.  

Strongly we would not recommend anyone going through Visa Pro, ask tropicaltravel.net next time you would like a visa to countries and they will be happy to recommend other agencies that would do better job for you.

Thank you

The Michael Family

 The large city of Rio de Janeiro is the bright city in Brazil, the city that shows the good side of South America, the traditional, beautiful side that is often overlooked.  Usually people are drawn to the violence and the sketchy side of South America, without pausing at Rio de Janeiro to see the beauty that is Brazil and its culture.  Between the rich lagoons, high peaks, and timeless beaches, Rio de Janeiro has become a world-renown site of beauty. 

Though you may think you have never heard much about Rio de Janeiro, you are probably mistaken, its famous beaches have found their way into film, song, and books.  You may have heard of the three beaches, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.  These beaches have been muse to many things that are famous throughout the world, they are responsible for songs like “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Desafinado” and of course, “Copacabana.”  Copacabana is a vast seafront expanse filled with vendors, sunbathers, soccer games, sand castle sculptors and school classes.  Along the walk you will see kiosks full of retirees, soccer fans, moms, gays, teens, bikers, and more from all walks of life, ending up here to drink, socialize, gossip, and bask in Rio’s beautiful weather.  On the opposite side of the beach you will stumble upon some of the city’s most popular hotels, such as Copacabana Palace, Excelsior Copacabana, and Portinari Design Hotel.

Also found in Copacabana is the rich culinary wonders of Brazil.  The Marius Crustaceos is a Rio institution where seafood is mandatory.  This all-you-can-eat establishment offers anything from the local seas cooked traditionally and deliciously, along with a seafood bar.  Also, specific to Brazil, feijoada is a local feast consisting of a black bean stew simmered for hours with large portions of pork, beef and sausages in a clay pot.  The only draw back to feijoada is the fact that this national dish is served traditionally only on Saturdays.  But now there is an alternative.  Casa de Feijoada is a modest restaurant that is frequented by locals and visitors alike.  This restaurant, located on an Ipanema side street, serves feijoada every day and at all hours, accompanied by dishes full of rice, cassava, collard greens and crispy hot fried pork rinds with orange slices.  And you can keep with tradition and follow this feast up with a cachaca, the potent sugar cane liquor that is the base to Brazil’s national drink, the caipirinha.

 Rio de Janeiro is not only frequented for its hotels, beaches and food, but for the Christ of the Redeemer, a 130-ft. Art Deco that was completed in 1931.  After a 2,300-ft. climb you can reach the feet of this masterpiece that was recently selected as on of the “New Seven Wonders of the World,” which makes it the only modern site on the list.

 In Brazil, Rio de Janeiro’s carnival is one of the greatest parties on Earth.  In the beginning of February, the dancing begins, with parties in the streets, the Samba parade, and much more.  Brazilians like foreigners to at least try to dance, and most of the larger samba groups allow tourists to join them as long as they wear the costumes, known as “fantasias,” which travelers can order online for costs from $282 to $1,412.  If you don’t dance you can watch from the stadium as the city’s top 12 samba groups, each with an 80-minute long spectacle that features hundreds drummers, thousands of dancers and a dozen flamboyant parade floats follow along the stadium’s half-mile-long runway.  The stadium has a capacity crown of 88,500.

 A easier and cheaper way to celebrate is at Rio’s street carnival, where no tickets or costumes are needed.  You can dance along with the Bandas, which play hits of carnivals past, or the blocos, which write a new song for each carnival and play it repeatedly.  The Banda Ipanema is one of the most famous carnival bands, the fans of the Carmelitas bloco like to dress as nuns, though it is not required, and the Cordao de Bola Preta is one of the city’s most traditional carnival bands, and is a favorite for families with young children.