5.30.2006

Cash-based Society


This is a picture of the inside of my purse only a week ago. Korea is a cash-based society. This means that when I purchase two plane tickets and need to pay about $2500 which is 2,510,000 won and the highest bill in their currency is a 10,000 won, I end up with a bag full of money! And that is what is photographed here. Those are all 10,000 won bills. That's around 250 won bills (what is it, if it is not a dollar bill?). Thankfully the bank is only a minute or so from the airline place! I am not exactly comfortable walking around with that much money in my purse. It's funny because though won is real...it still feels like play money. It would feel completely different to hold the same amount of cash in American money. It's strange.

3 comments:

Alicia said...

I have been so proud of your blogging skill these days!! Its fun to hear from you so often. Won confuses me...I am past the point where rupees feels like play money. have you seen american money in awhile? Now that feels like play money now!!

jatterb said...

Wow. I could not imagine having to carry that much money around, even if only for a block or two.

You would think that at least airlines would have the ability to take credit cards.

-Alan

Amber said...

It's not that they don't accept credit cards, it is because until recently...as an American without Korean insurance...I cannot get one. However, recently we got it (so I have both Korean and American insurance now--both required to live here!) so I can now as of a few months ago...apply for a credit card. Korea has a really good banking system, more advanced than ours in ways...but at times being a foreigner limits you.

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