Getting a visa to enter Bolivia

After Evo Morales got elected as President of Bolivia, he implemented a "reciprocity" approach regarding tourist visas. Any country that charged Bolivians to obtain a visa would have to pay the same in order to obtain a Bolivian visa. Since I'm going there for a week in November, I decided now was the time to get the visa. What an experience:

First, I needed to complete the two page application, print out my hotel confirmation and flight receipt (showing I was leaving Bolivia), photocopy the front page of my passport and a copy of a credit card (to show I had funds) and dig up my vaccination against Yellow Fever. Then, I needed two passport sized photos to attach to the application. Oh yeah, I also had to secure $135 USD, which meant withdrawing pesos from my debit acount here and then going to a Casa de Cambio to purchase dollars.

Next, I googled "Bolivian Consulate in Argentina" and the first few websites all had the same address: Belgrano 1600. So, during lunch, I biked there and got a confused look from the portera (receptionist) when I entered the building. I asked her what floor the Bolivian consulate was on and she laughed. She said they hadn't been in that building for eight years...

Biking back to my office, I googled it again and found a different address (in Once, one of the worst parts of BA). I chanced it and took my bike there as well, making sure to lock it up in a very well-travelled street. I waited about 45 minutes to be called, provided the documentation and my money, and the woman told me I needed to deposit the money in the bank next to the Bolivian Embassy, which just happens to be at the other end of town.

So, I gave up for the afternoon. Tomorrow, I will wake up early, go to Microcentro and deposit the money. During lunch, I will take the receipt back to the consulate to get my (hard earned!) visa.