re: #289 karmic_inquisitor

BTW - Brazil has a reciprocation policy regarding tourism from the US.

They basically make US citizens jump through an equivalent hoop that Brazilians have to jump through if they want to visit here.

That means visas, background checks, lots of paperwork and then immigration hassles upon arrival. IIRC the visa is good for 7 years. FYI to anyone contemplating a trip down there (which is worth the hassle, IMO).

Good for them. I wish Europe would do the same. Americans might complain if instead of an automatic six-month visa to the EU (for which we don’t even have to apply) they got treated to the runaround and expense my German novelist friend has to endure in order to come here and teach as a guest professor. Every. Single. Time. From. Scratch.

The US Embassy in Berlin charges something like two dollars a minute to put you on hold and wait to get a date to come in and wait to apply for your visa. Two bucks a minute for a local call from Berlin to Berlin.

Truth.