Why was US currency not wanted in Novosibirsk, Russia?
While it is pretty odd to think that you might be able to get by in Novosibirsk without having to change anything to rubles, I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect to be able to exchange US dollars into rubles there. I think your mistake was in insisting on small bills. Money changers want nice, clean, fresh $50s and $100s, at least in my experience in Russia.
loiseau: no, that is not the case. Small denomination dollars will probably work as currency in super touristy locations — think Cancun — but Novosibirsk is not really a touristy location frequented by Americans, unless there’s something huge I’ve missed. And even then, they rip you off with hugely inflated exchange rates.
I have an acquaintance who recently lived in Saint Petersburg, and used to pay the rent for his flat in dollars. One day the landlady said that she would only accept payment in euros or rubles from then on. So if the dollar ever was universally accepted in Russia, it isn’t anymore. And it’s never been a “near universal currency,” puh-leeze.
My grandma told me that during her travels to India, China, Eastern Europe, and South Africa, she kept a wad of $1 bills to give out to people as tips and souvenirs. This was in the late 70s and early 80s. She said that these got her out of lots of sticky situations, soothed tensions with cab drivers, hotel owners, and waiters, and were a big hit with local children. She told me I should do the same when I was going to Japan, Hong Kong, and S. Korea in 2003, so I brought along $50 in $1s. I never used a single one and would have felt extremely uncomfortable doing so, since I would have fulfilled the stereotype of Americans as believing everybody worships the greenback. I’ve no doubt that the Dollar would have been universally accepted in the 70s and 80s, when a significant portion of the world’s countries were starved for hard currency. In Eastern Europe and China, for example, the local currency simply couldn’t buy imported goods. If you wanted Western stereo equipment or cars or food
