Hostel Las Palmeras, Puerto Iguazú (still here)

Got stuck here until at least Monday, maybe Tuesday.

Yesterday (Friday) tried to enter Brazil, but the border guards found my Brasilian visa not valid, according to them it had expired in mid January, i.e. 60 days after the first entry. The Brazilian consulate in Puerto Iguazú later interpreted the stamps in my passport in the same way. (Btw, did you know that the Brazilian visa allocates two pages, and an entry or exit stamp half a page in your passport.)

I asked them to contact the Brazilian embassy in Helsinki who had issued the visa which I have been interpreting as compatible with my (detailed) application letter (= I plan to travel in South America for a longer period of time with an entry and exit via São Paulo, separated by at least 3 months, i.e. at least two entries, each entry about 3 weeks long but the time between entries at least 90 days), namely that each of the multiple entries that I will make can last up to 60 days. Both the border control and the consulate refused to contact the embassy in Helsinki and offered as the only solution that I apply for a new visa. This is possible during weekdays between 8am and 11am, Friday was already too late, next opportunity is on Monday.

This is humiliating, and costs money (85 ARS = 22 USD) and time (at least 3 days). I've tried to contact various offices to get help (i.e. an apology and a speedier entry into Brazil) but failed, most importantly, the embassy in Helsinki only opens on Monday. Fortunately our round-the-world ticket is flexible, i.e. we can shift the dates of the flights.