Rio de Janeiro viewed from Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain). May 7, 2010. ©ThreeCircles.net. Full image here.

Although not a great day for photos from the top of Pão de Açúcar the views of Rio, the surrounding coast, and the outer islands were spectacular. We spent several hours at the top of Sugar Loaf from about mid-afternoon on and had the chance to see clouds roll in and the lights of the city below blink on following dusk.

Near the center of the picture, the long curved beach extending into the distance is the famous Copacabana Beach. The small beach located closer to the bottom of the picture is Vermelha Beach.

Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 8, 2010 ©ThreeCircles.net Full image here.

Rocinha is the largest "favela" in Rio de Janeiro with an estimated population of 250,000 people. Photo taken just inside the community and during Marcelo Armstrong's Favela Tour.

*The term "favela" (pronounced) is quite derogatory to the individuals of these communities. Our tour guide indicated that the use of the word "community" was much more favored and more accurately captured these areas of Brazil.

We ended up saving a bit of coin in waiting to book our domestic flights for the upcoming Brazil trip. The TAM flights both to and from Foz do Iguaçu ended up going down in price and were pretty inexpensive and, in the arena of even more good news, the flights are direct and are scheduled at excellent times.

Now just to flesh out the itinerary...

Having just mailed off for my Brazil visa last Thursday (March 4) I certainly didn't expect to see it sitting by the front door when I pulled into the driveway this afternoon. If only U.S. government agencies moved so quickly and effectively.

Another great surprise awaited me when I scanned the visa itself. Turns out it's good for multiple entries for the next five years. Who's paying a visit to the Amazon?!

Thursday brought to a close my very time-consuming and expensive experience with (hopefully) obtaining a Brazilian tourist visa for my impending trip in May. Up until this trip, even considering the extent of countries visited, I've yet had the need to actually apply for a paper visa as the vast majority of countries issue paperless visas at point of entry. A simple quick-over at the immigration desk at the airport, a stamp, and you're on your way. Not so as far as Brazil is concerned.

Although not required for the visa itself, unless one has visited a location within the Yellow Fever belt within the ninety days preceding your entry into Brazil, a trip to the St. Petersburg Center of the Pinellas County Health Dept. resulted in a quick vaccination for the virus and an international Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate. Since we're planning on visiting the magnificent Iguazu Falls, which do lie within the Yellow Fever belt inside of Brazil, I felt compelled to play it safe. Hundreds of misting waterfalls nestled snugly within dense vegetation all swathed in tropical heat, well, just sorta sounds like the place you might find a mosquito or two, the carriers of the fever. Thus, Wednesday afternoon was spent.

A day earlier, when I drove cross county to the Clearwater branch of the health department to obtain the Yellow Fever vaccination and subsequently found out that only the office in St. Petersburg offered it, I also made a stop at AAA for needed visa photo. The Consulate General of Brazil maintains that one must only display a "neutral" facial expression for the visa photo and a litany of other requirements must be met or the entire visa application will be rejected. So, without smiles, frowns, or any other recognizable emotional state I was on my way with photo in hand.

The better part of Wednesday evening was spent organizing and completing the visa paperwork and gathering the documents I would need to mail to the embassy: Passport, printout of the electronically filed "Electronic Visa Application Form" with visa photo glued (not stapled, only glued), and copy of Florida drivers license indicating residency within the jurisdiction of the Brazilian consulate in Miami.

An hour and a half of late Thursday afternoon was spent in the United States Post Office. Not only is the Brazilian Consulate very specific about documents being sent but they are also specific about how they are sent and how they are returned. After a $150.00 USPS money order was obtained ($130.00 for the visa itself, and, of course, a $20.00 handling fee since I was applying by mail versus in person), I also purchased two USPS Express Mail envelopes and enough postage to cover the mailing from the embassy in Miami back to me. ($15.90 x 2 = $31.80).

With everything signed, organized, and included, the package left Tampa Thursday and arrived at the consulate just before noon on Friday. Now, according to the consulates website, they have ten days to process the application and then return.

Here's hoping everything runs smooth.