Letters: Montreal biking, Brazil

I am president of Ça Roule Montreal (Montreal on Wheels, https://www.caroulemontreal.com/en). We were not pleased with Andrew Bender’s article “The Bixi Way to See Montreal” [Sept. 26].

FOR THE RECORD:
Brazil visas: A letter in the Oct. 17 Travel section said that visas for Brazil must be used within 90 days of the issue date. Brazil no longer requires that visa holders enter the country within 90 days of the visa’s issuance. —

The story implies that our store offers only a guided bike tour and that the only option for visitors to see the city by bike is by using the Bixi system.

But visitors can visit the city using our bikes without the 30-minute limit and get a full-day competitive rate. Plus, our bikes are lighter, faster and come with helmets, locks and full bike-path map.

Let your reader decide what’s best for him: full bike service and a bike guided tour from our store or the public bike system from the city of Montreal.

Andre Giroux

Montreal

Who wins in the visa tit-for-tat?

Regarding Catharine Hamm’s “Visa Vexation” [On the Spot, Oct. 3]: Brazil has had a cranky tone toward the U.S. for many years.

Forty-five years ago, our family went on a three-year assignment to Campinas, Brazil. The company arranged all our papers and necessary shots. One of our shots was for smallpox, which we received just before we left.

We arrived in Campinas with fresh blisters at the vaccination site. The authorities insisted that they would not accept smallpox shots given in the U.S and insisted that we must receive their serum. We had no choice.

We later learned that a Brazilian family had gone to New York and developed smallpox. They had received their shots in Brazil. The U.S. then advised Brazil they would not accept its smallpox shots, and travelers receiving them would be reinjected upon their entrance into the U.S. This is the diplomatic tit for tat, as mentioned in the column.

Then, Brazil put our dog in quarantine and refused to release it unless we paid $100. If we refused, the dog would be killed. So we paid.

Lori Graham

Los Angeles

In “Visa Vexation,” the letter writer complains about the visa requirement for Brazil and says he will not visit Brazil again while it has the current policy. Your columnist provides a thoughtful response, mentioning in passing that the U.S. also charges for a visa and reminding the reader that the U.S. and Brazil don’t require visas for visitors from Western Europe.

The issue could be put into much sharper focus. The U.S. requires visas for visitors from every country in Central and South America, and many other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. Brazil is simply reciprocating.

Marvin Klein

Pacific Palisades

In Hamm’s column, she neglected to tell readers that the visa for Brazil must be used within 90 days of the issue date. If it is used after the 90 days, it will not be valid.

Laurel Lichtman

Classic Travel - A Virtuoso Agency

Westlake Village