Jah only knows how long ago, we decided we wanted to tour Europe. We sent an email to our friend Lars asking how to go about doing so. Not so long afterwards, Lars put out our record and booked us a European tour. Plane tickets were bought, high fives were had, partying ensued. Easy.
Last year, our friend Diego of the band Rogue State presented us with the idea of touring South America. Beers were cracked and high fives were had.
We soon learned the headache of traveling to Brazil. In order for an American to visit Brazil, he or she must obtain a travel visa in addition to their passport (America forces any non citizen to do the same). It's possible to send your passport away to some middle man and have this done for you but we said fuck it. We went for the old fashioned way.
The nearest Brazilian consulate to Philadelphia is in Manhattan. Sucks. Thursday found myself on a bus retardedly early to get our passports stamped...
They don't make this shit easy. Applications for tourist visas can only be placed between 10 AM and noon on weekdays. Bring your passport, one 2 inch by 2 inch photo, your dumb filled out visa application, a US postal money order for $130 (cash, checks, or credit would just be too easy), and your flight itinerary. They can be picked up the following day between 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM. No joke. Two bus rides to beat NYC.
Visas are had. High fives are in order. Towers, Rogue State, and Dogs of Ire on tour in South America from August 6th to the 22nd. Some info can be found at the linked myspaces. Exact venues, dates, and cities to follow shortly(?).
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