Pre-travel planning is proceeding nicely.
Immunizations: I went to my doctor earlier this summer, he gave me a TDAP (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussus) and TWINRIX (Hepatitus A & B) shots, but sent me to a travel nurse at a company called Concentra for the more obscure ones. There I got shots for Polio and Yellow Fever, and I got the four-pill oral vaccine for Typhoid. The shots gave me a slight fever and upset stomach all weekend... Thanks to Janice for pulling me through that, by going to the grocery and buying me the wonder drug Pepto Bismol !!!
Visas: I need visas for Australia, Brazil, and China.
The Australian visa took a little work. I had to fill out a questionnaire, then I was granted an exception so I could apply for an online visa (Electronic Travel Authorization, or ETA), which the travel agent took care of for me.
Brazil is harder. I needed an invitation letter, and a notarized cover letter on IBM letterhead (original). I mailed that with my passport and proof of travel arrangements (my itinerary) to a company named CIBT, who will do the leg work of going to the Brazillian Consulate to try to convince them to stamp my passport. The process takes about a week.
China is even harder. Similar requirements as Brazil, but the invitation letter is granted by IBM China, and they need to mail me an original of that, from China, to include in my visa request package. I'm still waiting on that invitation letter, and I'm flying out in 11 days! Hopefully I'll get it tomorrow or Friday, and I'll be able to forward it to CIBT. Once they have that, and they're done with Brazil, they'll do the leg work for China. Hopefully they'll get all that done before they're forced to send my passport back to me (next Thur).
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