Adventure Accounting

Way back in 2015, I recall that Philippine passport holders did not need a tourist visa for Ecuador. That changed sometime in 2021. I'd rather not apply for another visa after getting an AVE for Argentina and a visa for Chile.  I briefly thought of dropping Ecuador from the itinerary - the Galapagos leg was costly and there's this visa application. B ut... it is now or never! I decided to book my flights and accommodations and just go push through with the visa application.  The website of the embassy of Ecuador  lists 'Embajada del Ecuador en Filipinas' located somewhere is Makati with some phone number. I called the phone number (January 2024). The building receptionist informed me that the embassy is not a tenant of the buiding anymore. They did give me a 'forwarding email' of the embassy (ecuadorindonesia-at-gmail-dot-com). I sent queries to both  ecuadorindonesia-at-gmail-dot-com and eecuindonesia-dot-cancilleria-dot-gob-dot-ec (official email). There was

Day 0 - Few weeks before, I created an account in Servicios Consulares en linea . You can save the information in the visa application and submit at a later date. I started gathering and consolidating the documents.  Day 1 - I submitted my application. I received a confirmation email that my visa application was received. The application form is quite easy to fill-out as long as you have all your documents in order  Itinerary documents (consolidated in one pdf and uploaded): 1. Receipt of the booked tour with Cascada Expediciones for Ecocamp 2. Flights. Entry and exit flights to Chile, domestic flights. 3. Proof of booked accommodations Economic means (consolidated in one pdf and uploaded) 1. Bank statements for the last 3 months of all my bank accounts. I did not submit any bank certificate, just the statements.  2. Credit card statements for the last 3 months.  3. Income tax returns from 2020-2023 (4 years) 4. Statements of Account of my investments in my mutual funds.  5. Screenshot

I have a valid US visa (B1/B2) . Based on the Migraciones website of Argentina , I am eligible to appy for an Autorizacion de Viaje Electronica or AVE visa (ETA visa). The AVE is applicable to foreigners holding valid US visas (see website for the types of US visa covered by this). The visa has to be valid during your stay in Argentina.  If you don't have a valid US visa, you do not qualify for AVE and you'll have to apply for a normal toursit visa for Argentina. I do not have firsthand experience for that procedure. I can only share my experience in obtaining an AVE.  I followed the steps enumerated in the website of Argentine Republic in the Philippines . The steps are pretty straightforward to follow. You will need to register to create an account. Then  pay   before completing the application form.  Cost: $150 (Ouch! I'm not sure when this changed. I recall this being less than $100 when I was just doing my research.  You need to be tech-savvy enough to: 1. Scan your p

---I'm trying to blog about my Americas trip this year. I need to redesign, reorganize and do some updating in this blog. But that's gonna take some time and a lot of energy. For now, I'll post what I can before another trip displaces my motivation to blog. So here we go. --- I started planning for trip this fifteen (15) months before the trip. I knew I my full-time job would be ending and I wanted to travel a bit after. Perfect timing for an long trip to South America! Top 3 spots that I picked for this trip: 1) Patagonia, 2) Easter Island, 3) Galapagos Islands. I visited 6 countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, USA) over 3 months. For now, I skipped the Amazon.  I braced myself for lots of flights, packing and unpacking, lots of walking, hiking and 3 months of adventure. While I could have gone longer, I wanted to celebrate my birthday back home.  The itinerary looks sorta wild when mapped out: Americas 2024 itinerary mapped out I'm glad I was able to d