I’m sure just about everyone who reads this has experienced the same dilemma when trying to buy something in small town Mexico, and some other countries south of the border. Stores and restaurants don’t have any change!
It’s not usually a big deal paying for everything in cash, unless you’re at a fancy restaurant and don’t want to take a chance that the ATM is out of money again. Yes, even the banks seem to be low on cash. We’ve had the experience in Sayulita, Melaque and Barra de Navidad.
The thing I don’t get is at places like OXXO or Kiosko (stores like 7-11) who have customers in and out all day long, they never have any change for paper money that would be the equivalent to our ten or twenty dollar bills. If people are giving them change all day long (cuz the can’t get any) then where the hell does it all go?
It’s like a comedy routine, watching a store clerk search her own purse, or running to the store next door to make change. We’ve tried to pay our bar tab and have seen the waiter dig into their tip jars for change. They never carry a float and in many places a metal box serves as a cash register.
You get to the point where you break into a sweat after opening your wallet and you see only $500 peso notes…what the ATM normally dispenses. So, can anyone tell me where all the Cambio is?
There’s a saying about the journey being more fun than the destination. If you’re including travelling by air it couldn’t be further from the truth. Never mind logistics and trying to get to a major hub if you live in a small city off the beaten jet path, lets get right to our favorite part of flying anywhere. Security.
Cathryn and I just completed Route 66 from Chicago to L.A. and a return trip across the United States on a more northerly route, racking up over 6,000 miles on mostly forgotten roads that were once the main arteries in America. As much as possible, we traveled the old U.S. Highway system that is still in use but often replaced by Interstate super highways.
We started the second half of our westward journey on Route 66 on Sunday, June 16th, in Amarillo, Texas. Not too far out of town I had to throw out the anchor and do a u-turn to stop at the infamous Cadillac Ranch. For those unaware of the legend and song that refer to the unusual site, this one boasts ten old Cadillac’s that are standing on end, partially buried, looking like the American version of Stonehenge.
Once again, while travelling Route 66 from Chicago to L.A., Cathryn and I have had our faith in humanity renewed. There really are friendly people left in the world, all you have to do is say hello and talk to them.
In 1926 new horseless carriages created a need for a network of roads for people to drive them on. Thus the federal highway system was launched with Route 66, dubbed The Mother Road or Will Rogers Highway, being the path west from Chicago to L.A. Folks were already heading west for land, jobs, and to find their fortune in one way or another.
We live in the center of the North American continent. It consists of two large countries, considered ‘westernized’ by the rest of the world. With the exception of some aboriginals in the far north, and perhaps a few other groups trying to cling to their heritage, I believe we share a similar culture. We are composed of different races, with different beliefs, but we share common goals like freedom and democracy.
We have been in Kiwengwa, Zanzibar for four days now. I happened to bring a few plastic shopping bags with me from Cape Town, which we used up in the kitchen waste container. Suddenly, out of kitchen garbage bags, I began to panic. So the search began. We looked in the one small grocery store here in town with no luck. We even searched in Stone Town without success. I asked Ed, “What do we do with our kitchen waste?”
Let’s start with vacation vs. travel. To those inexperienced in the latter, as opposed to the former, you’ll completely understand. Others may think the two getaways are the same, but they are quite different. Vacations tend to be those one-week jaunts to somewhere warm, where you can relax and forget all about work or whatever other crap life throws at you on a daily basis.
Let me get to the meat and potatoes about this travelling thing – what the hell do you eat when you’re in countries like Egypt, South Africa, and Tanzania? Well, let me tell you that Cathryn and I have probably walked a hundred miles in the last two weeks and we’ve still managed to put on a few pounds.
