As a kid, I was fascinated by foreign money, and I guess I still am. Our American money is just so boring compared to the colorful, sometimes oddly-shaped and perforated foreign bills and coins imprinted with strange faces, places, and symbols.
Another thing that I find fascinating is currency exchange rates. I was an economics major in school so I understand how and why exchange rates and inflation, etc., works, but I still find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that just one of my US dollar bills will get me more than seventeen thousand Vietnamese dong.
In order to keep on top of what's worth what while I'm out and about, I put together a simple spreadsheet with local currencies and current rates:
| 3/23/2009 | $1 | $5 | $10 | $20 | $40 | $50 |
| India (Rupees) | 50 | 252 | 504 | 1,008 | 2,017 | 2,521 |
| Nepal (Rupees) | 80 | 400 | 800 | 1,600 | 3,200 | 4,000 |
| Thailand (Baht) | 35 | 177 | 353 | 706 | 1,412 | 1,766 |
| Cambodia (Riel) | 4,101 | 20,505 | 41,010 | 82,020 | 164,040 | 205,050 |
| Vietnam (Dong) | 17,543 | 87,715 | 175,430 | 350,860 | 701,720 | 877,150 |
| Laos (Kip) | 8,560 | 42,800 | 85,600 | 171,200 | 342,400 | 428,000 |
| Malaysia (Ringgits) | 3.6 | 18.2 | 36.3 | 72.6 | 145.2 | 181.5 |
| Singapore (Dollars) | 1.5 | 7.5 | 15.1 | 30.1 | 60.3 | 75.4 |
| Indonesia (Rupiahs) | 11,516 | 57,580 | 115,160 | 230,320 | 460,640 | 575,800 |
It's fun to think that in some countries, the money in my pocket will make me a millionaire :)
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