Money is always a mystery when traveling. I'm not sure why, given that technology has infiltrated every last patch of dirt on the planet. Nonetheless it seems there is always some twist.
In Thailand they freak out if the bills you're trying to exchange for local currency are torn. And heaven forbid you should accidentally catch a Thai Bhat in the zipper of your wallet and deface it. It's adorned with the face of the Prince and it's a crime punishable with jail time for being disrespectful to His Majesty.
When I was in China they would only take brand-new bills. So I wandered around for a month with a purse full of bills with just the slightest crease. Un-useable.
Armed with the information from my previous excursions abroad, I stopped by my local bank prior to leaving for Ecuador and requested all new $100 bills. Wouldn't you know those bills have been nothing but a pain in my ass! The US government issued new currency in late 2013. All the bills I have are so new they haven't even seen them in Ecuador yet!
The first time I tried to use one, it took some serious fast-talking to convince the the clerk at the store it was not a counterfeit bill. There I was with my limited Spanish vocabulary pointing out all of the security features of the bill. All the while she was rubbing it between her fingers convinced I was trying to pull a fast one.
Today I realized I was running low on $10s and $20s and, and everything soon to be shut down until Wednesday due to Carnaval, so I headed off to the bank to break a $100. I stopped at Banco Pinchinca, where I've performed this task twice before, only to be told the only place I could get change was at Banco Central.
Walking in the pouring rain, I arrived at Banco Central where there was only one teller working and a line of 15 people ahead of me. I finally get my turn with the teller only to be told they won't give me change without my passport. WTF? This has never, ever been requested before. Keep in mind that I am not changing US dollars for a local currency. They use the USD!
By this point my little banking expedition has eaten up an hour of my day. I'm wet and frustrated and decide I could use a cocktail. Aha, if I stop by SuperMaxi and buy a bottle of rum not only can I break that damn $100 bill, but I can make use of the frozen pineapple in my freezer. Turns out there is a silver lining to those clouds!
In Thailand they freak out if the bills you're trying to exchange for local currency are torn. And heaven forbid you should accidentally catch a Thai Bhat in the zipper of your wallet and deface it. It's adorned with the face of the Prince and it's a crime punishable with jail time for being disrespectful to His Majesty.
When I was in China they would only take brand-new bills. So I wandered around for a month with a purse full of bills with just the slightest crease. Un-useable.
Armed with the information from my previous excursions abroad, I stopped by my local bank prior to leaving for Ecuador and requested all new $100 bills. Wouldn't you know those bills have been nothing but a pain in my ass! The US government issued new currency in late 2013. All the bills I have are so new they haven't even seen them in Ecuador yet!
The first time I tried to use one, it took some serious fast-talking to convince the the clerk at the store it was not a counterfeit bill. There I was with my limited Spanish vocabulary pointing out all of the security features of the bill. All the while she was rubbing it between her fingers convinced I was trying to pull a fast one.
Today I realized I was running low on $10s and $20s and, and everything soon to be shut down until Wednesday due to Carnaval, so I headed off to the bank to break a $100. I stopped at Banco Pinchinca, where I've performed this task twice before, only to be told the only place I could get change was at Banco Central.
Walking in the pouring rain, I arrived at Banco Central where there was only one teller working and a line of 15 people ahead of me. I finally get my turn with the teller only to be told they won't give me change without my passport. WTF? This has never, ever been requested before. Keep in mind that I am not changing US dollars for a local currency. They use the USD!
By this point my little banking expedition has eaten up an hour of my day. I'm wet and frustrated and decide I could use a cocktail. Aha, if I stop by SuperMaxi and buy a bottle of rum not only can I break that damn $100 bill, but I can make use of the frozen pineapple in my freezer. Turns out there is a silver lining to those clouds!
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