Adventures in Money changing

We arrived safely this morning and our VRBO host picked us up at the airport. We hardly slept on the plane so we're pretty tired. Imagine trying to sleep in a chair and every time it looks like you're about to fall asleep somebody shakes the chair. But we need some pesos. Our friend Bill told us there's such a thing as "Blue Dollars". The official exchange rate is about 15.5 pesos to the dollar, but you can get 17 pesos to the dollar if you can find an "unofficial" exchange.   Our host pointed one out just down the street.

It's an interesting and a little bit scary adventure, especially if you don't speak Spanish. You go through this plain glass door in a building without a sign on it.  They have to "buzz" you in. You're in a waiting room with a dozen other people and you're given a number.  There's NOTHING in this room to let you know you're in an exchange, official or otherwise.  And there's nothing to let you know what the exchange rate is going to be. When your number is called you're taken in a back room (only one person can go) where the money actually changes hands. The whole process took about 25 minutes.  At least next time we'll be more at ease there.

More tomorrow on actual sites of interest, this time with pictures.  With all the security and slight shadiness at the exchange, we thought it was unwise to take a picture.

Ted