Of Baht and Yen

My foreign currency order arrived at the bank this morning!

I ordered ฿3500 (about $100) just in case I get to Thailand, I can't get my credit card to work, the credit card's fraud department is closed, the currency exchange window is closed, and I need to get a taxi and a meal right away. I'm probably being overly paranoid  about this, but I'd rather have the cash and not need it immediately than be stuck with a useless plastic rectangle as my only method of payment.

I was expecting the bank to give me seven ฿500 notes. Instead, what I got was an assortment of denominations: four ฿500 notes, ten ฿100 notes, two ฿50 notes, and twenty (!) ฿20 notes. I can only assume that the bank's currency exchange people know what they're doing and that it's difficult to pay for small things with large denominations in Thailand, much like many businesses here in the U.S. will refuse to take payments in bills larger than $20.

I also ordered ¥7000 (about $50) for my layover in Tokyo, because from what I can gather, cash is preferred in Japan for many things, and many smaller businesses don't take credit cards at all. However, this order had only five notes: two ¥2000 notes and three ¥1000 notes.

Perhaps it's easier to make change in Japan? I guess I'll find out.