Red tape

Well, tomorrow we are off to Guayaquil (4.5 to 5 hour bus ride) to get our visitor visas registered. We found out last week when we went to the immigration office here in Cuenca that we can't get it done here (this was after waiting more than hour in the waiting room). We phoned the branch office and they confirmed that yes, we do have to go to either Guayaquil or Quito. What a pain! We are not looking forward to it. We have to have our visas registered within 30 days of entering the country or there is a $200 fine each. After all the red tape we went through in Canada getting our visas and now this! If we had known we would have stayed for only 90 days and saved all the hassle. Oh well, the good news is that we can stay at Bethel for 2 nights.

We don't know what to expect at the immigration office but are hoping for the best. Apparently it is a two step process so we might have to go back a second day. This is a complicated world we live in and travelling can be stressful, especially with the language barrier. All government offices have been closed for two business days because of the Carnival so we are hoping there won't be too much of a line-up. Will let you know how it goes....update on Friday, hopefully.