Visas

In spite of several tests for which I was studying I managed to do a little bit of research on the topic of visas for the eighteen different countries I will be visiting. I was happy to find out that only Brazil and Paraguay require an advanced purchase of a visa. This will prove to be problematic if I am to lose it along the way, but that's neither here nor there and we'll deal with it if it comes up. Paraguay may not be a problem since I believe I can get one at the Paraguayan consulate office in Argentina. Most of the other countries require what they refer to as a tourist card which is essentially a visa that can be purchased upon crossing of the border and shouldn't pose a problem at all. A funny thing I noticed though when reading through safety information about the various countries is that even though I already recognized the fact that one of the more dangerous locations I will be passing through is Mexico and I have been warned about it multiple times, but I assumed the more dangerous part would be primarily in the state of Chihuahua. However upon reading the State Dept. advisory Chihuahua was only mentioned in passing and paragraphs were dedicated to Vera Cruz. I wasn't too concerned initially due to the fact that I will pretty much be avoiding Juarez and therefore assumed I'd be avoiding the worst, but since I will be staying in Vera Cruz for some time it poses cause for a little more concern. Not that I'm really that concerned, but I'm sure this news will keep me a little more on my toes. Now that I've figured that much out, the next step for me besides actually applying for the visa to Brazil is the get my vaccinations including one I've never had before for yellow fever which is required for several South American countries. I'll update next week if I progress on anything this week.