SHOW ME THE MONEY
I know a lot of you are headed down this way for the tournaments as well as the holidays so I wanted to pass on some thoughts about traveling with money. There’s some things I’ve noticed about carrying those almighty green “fun tickets” that seem to be recognized all over the world no matter where you go. I’ve often told people that no matter what folks think about Americans, there’s a universal language spoken around the world and it’s a piece of green paper with a deceased president’s picture on it. Whether folks understand English or not…whether George Bush is revered or reviled…heck, even Osama deals in greenbacks and Sadam Hussein squirreled away Benjamins! It’s both a curse and a blessing that the U.S. dollar opens so many doors.
Our good neighbors in Mexico are no different. But, I’ve noticed quite a growing“suspicion” about American money lately. Some of it is self-induced and some of it is just plain confusion.
For example, as you travel the Baja, you’ll notice more and more places holding our dollars up to the light. More store clerks are using those highlight pens on the currency. In many of the larger cities such as Ensenada, Loreto, Cabo and La Paz, there are even some vendors that are leery of accepting denominations larger than $20 or flat-out-refusing to accept them.
We Americans are partially to blame. Just about anyone these days with a good computer, scanner and printer can turn out money. Think about it. It’s not that hard. Now, you and I probably wouldn’t be fooled, but enough idiotic Americans have tried this over the last few years trying to pass off homemade money as “coin of the realm” in Baja to raise more than a few eyebrows among Mexican vendors. Leave it to a few to screw it up for so many other good folk. If some Mexican vendor accepts a $20 bill and it turns out to be phony, that may well be the only sale he/she makes all day and it’s not like the aggrieved vendor can turn it in or report it.
Secondly, it seems our genuine money keeps changing all the time…again to foil counterfeiters or because metal is just getting rare. Just the other day, one of my clients showed me some of the new paper money as well as the new nickels. It looked nothing like the “old” denominations. The new nickel did not even look like a nickel. The paper money looked just weird enough to be a bad counterfeit job to the uninitiated eye. Ergo, more and more, you’ll find Mexicans being more suspicious of money.
On a more practical note, more stores, restaurants and gas stations are leery of accepting torn or defaced U.S. dollars. The reason for this is that they cannot take money with say, your girlfriend’s phone number scribbled on it, to the bank to exchange it. I have seen signs at some checkout counters outright refusing to take “dolares feos” (ugly dollars). Nothing against you personally, but if they can’t take it to the bank, then the money is basically worthless no matter how many cases of beer you may want to buy.
Lastly, keep the coins at home. I’ve become a regular slot machine to many of my friends who are bellboys and waiters who get either torn dollars or nickels, dimes and quarters as tips. Amigos, just like torn or defaced dollar bills, coins are useless in Mexico. I never realized it before. Coke machines don’t accept them. The banks don’t accept them. Stores don’t accept them. Therefore, when you tip your bellboy a whole quarter for carrying all your fishing tackle up 3 flights of stairs, believe me, you’re not doing him any favor that’s going to get him to give you extra towels. You might as well be giving him that Canadian quarter you found in the newspaper vending machine at the airport before you flew down.
Bottom line, bring newer money if possible or at least money that isn’t torn, scribbled on or marked up. Bring lower denominations, if possible, for daily use. Save the larger bills for something major or an emergency. If you’re going to buy tacos; or buy bait from the baitman; or give a tip, small bills will get you a big smile. I can’t help but roll my eyes when we pull our panga up to the baitman and the client pulls out a $100 bill for $10 worth of bait and asks the pangero, “Do you have change?” Finally, save your loose change for the parking meter at the airport.
You don’t need to convert to pesos. Mexico loves dollars they’re just a little more careful about accepting it these days.
That’s my story…
Jonathan
That's My Story 
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