… but spending makes your slimmer.
Money is always a bit of an issue here in Myanmar, I have it, the locals want it and it’s usually a question of how much they get, but its not simple….
There is an official exchange rate between the dollar and the Kyat but no-one seems to know what it is, all that is known is that it is significantly lower than the “real” rate that you get on the black market.
Naturally everyone uses the black market and while it’s not quite covert meetings in dark alleys, you still have to be careful of who and where you exchange money.
My first money changer was a student who carried his moneyaround in his bag and after agreeing a rate we went on a meandering walk through side-streets on the way to the tea-shop to conduct our business.
As he was a student and only exchanging money part-time, we were able to sit and chat for a while. Besides I needed time to count the money, the unoffiicial exchange rate is $1 = 1320 Kyats which means that $100 =132000 Kyats with the biggest note being 1000 Kyat, that’s a lot of banknotes to count and check…
So now I walk around with a rounded belly, my money belt stuffed with kyats and my new objective is to spend myself slim…..
Leave a comment