The Value of a Dollar (in Thailand)

Lots to think and talk about after Erica's and my trip to Southeast Asia - not the tsunami, which I think inundated you wired ones more back here (and about which enough said, really - thanks Bill!), but other stuff - observations of these alien worlds and interactions with people.

One moment that sticks in my head: Erica and I were on the verge of making our largest single purchase of art and mementos, at a hole-in-the-wall store in Bangkok, and it was going to exhaust my remaining supplies of Thai Bhat. I offered to make up the difference to the store owner with dollars - fresh, crisp bills - and she declined. "My son says, today 38 Baht, tomorrow 37 Baht, next day... no thank you." So instead of completing our transaction (her largest of the night, I would guess) on the spot, cash in-hand, she had us ducking out of her store, past dozens of like establishments, in search of an ATM.

Note: This was not a clever attempt to negotiate the exchange rate (I was willing and tried) - she just didn't want the dollars.

Now granted, we had just come from Cambodia where the dollar is de facto currency, and the local Riel is used almost exclusively to make change (4000 Riel to one USD; no US coins accepted). But to someone who's watched his jokes about the doomed dollar go from mildly wonkish humor to Economist cover story in just one W term - with one full term to go - the experience was a bit of a shock.