So, whither the US$/RMB…..the US$/UK£….what rate to budget for 2015?
Of course nobody really knows, one just has to take a view and budget accordingly.
Actually much easier than the challenge I faced in Cambodia earlier this summer…Official exchange rate for Cambodian Riel KHR 6730 to £1, but more importantly, KHR 4060 to $1. However the tourist exchange rate at the airport is KHR 3800 to $1. Even worse if you had to convert £s then work all into US$ and KHR in parallel.
But on the ground, everyone is happy to take US$, but at an assumed rate of KHR 4000 to $1. Or KHR. Or a combination of the two. And you could get change in one or both currencies, depending on which they have to hand.
So you go out for a delicious Amok curry for dinner, and the bill for 5 comes in at a whopping KHR 121,500. So, that’s……$29.93, isn’t it? Or is it $30.75? Or £18.05? In fact it turns out to be $20 and KHR 41,500 since that’s the currency I have to hand. Every meal or purchase turns into a battle of double mental arithmetic.
And don’t forget the $2 for the Tut Tut back to the hotel…or KHR 8000.
Lucky the sums involved aren’t very dramatic.