Changing Money

[Tony_c]

Hi
I'm off to Nepal next month and wondering if I need to Change
my GB pounds into US dollers, or do most hotels and banks change
GB pounds into Rupees.

Thanks

[Oli]

No need, you can change GB £ as easily as US $. Euros are good too, or Yen, or indeed most other forms of hard cash.

You might get a fractionally better rate for $ rather than £, but by the time you've changed your £ to $ you might just as well go straight from £ to Rupee.

And there are ATMs in Kathmandu so you can (usually) get rupees debited from your UK bank account. I'm not sure about the rates & charges, and they usually dole out fairly high denomination notes, whereas the money changers can (usually) be persuaded to give you more useful smaller notes.

On the trail you will need all your money in rupees, there are a few places where you can change foreign currency and travelers cheques (Lukla, Namche, Chame, Manang, Jomsom, Tatopani - probably numerous others).

Getting local currency is not difficult. Just avoid having too much spare when you leave as it's less easy to convert back to hard currency. Either go shopping in KTM and blow it all on your last day, or put your spare aside for when you go back to Nepal again.

[yakshaver]

Getting local currency is not difficult. Just avoid having too much spare when you leave as it's less easy to convert back to hard currency. Either go shopping in KTM and blow it all on your last day, or put your spare aside for when you go back to Nepal again.


All true. Some advice on how to blow it all out in the last day:
a) go to the shopping centre which is in the former Royal Stables. Absolutely fantastic.
b) buy some fake buddha statues (or at least the book Shopping for Buddhas).
c) get stoned in Freak Street (Jonche).
d) give all the spare money away to some beggar
e) get sloshed at pub Maya
f) buy enough tiger balm to for all the rheumatic seniors in your country
g) buy khukri knives (and try to get them with you in your hand luggage when you fly out)
i) buy some Khukri rum
j) buy carpets
k) play pocker with the hotel receptionist
l) play ***** whith whoever you get sloshed with at pub Maya. Not strip *****
m) buy pashmina shawls for your neigbourhood knitting club

Don't forget the aiport tax. I think it is about 1200 Rupees these days, I don't know.

[Spaceman347]

If you keep the receipts from the money changers they will allow you to change back a certain percentage of the money when you leave, well that's the theory anyway. I don't believe that this holds true if you just withdraw all of your money from the ATM (credit card cash advance).

As the others have mentioned it's probably easier to leave your shopping until the last couple of days and then blow all your rupees on souvenirs.

[kegarne]

I found it useful to use spare Rupees at the airport to negotiate an upgrade to Business Class on Thai.....
Totally by accident but it worked out well...

[Oli]

I found it useful to use spare Rupees at the airport to negotiate an upgrade to Business Class on Thai.....
Totally by accident but it worked out well...

Oooohhhh... now that's a nice thought. How many rupee did that upgrade 'cost'?

[kegarne]

I think about 500 Rupee in the end.....
I smiled and said namaste to one of the nepalese dudes that was floating around the embarkation queue and he called me out of the line. He asked me for my ticket and then made a call and I was upgraded.....then I gave him the rest of my rupees....
So you can see it was sort of the wrong way around and I was just lucky but I am sure it could be tried.
I will certainly be trying it again next time.

[Oli]

hehe, lucky blag, I guess.

Last time I was leaving one guy was obviously angling for a tip, I only had a few hundred left and a mind to use it for my taxi fair to Thamel (in 2 weeks :) ) so I hung onto it.

The first time I flew to Nepal I almost missed my flight (long story) but ended up in business class courtesy of Gulf Air.

[kegarne]

Well lucky you that you can think about planning ahead like that !
I am afraid I never know when I will get a chance to go back so it is fairly pointless keeping the rupees.
I hope later this year to enjoy the best season( Oct/Nov) but that will depend on things at home....
You planning a new trek this time ?

[Oli]

I was quite close to doing a trek in Dolpo, but that would have been too good and didn't happen. My current plan is for a leisurely stroll up through Helambu to Gosiankund and Langtang. But wherever I am trekking I'll be heading for Kathmandu in *checks watch* two weeks. I'd better start getting my stuff together :rolleyes:

You know you'll be back. It's just a question of 'when'... ;)

Apparently (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6297811.stm) they are now reprinting the money without the king's image.

[kegarne]

I was actually surprised at the difficulty of the Helambu trek when I did it.
From Sundarijal it is a fair grind up to Langtang..I had just come back from Everest Base Camp so I was fairly acclimated as well.

Have a good one.

[Oli]

There are up hill sections? Really?! :p

I had noticed that there are a few ridges & valleys to cross before a long slog up the spine of the main ridge.

I am planning to take a slower than usual pace, and I'll be hiring a porter to carry all my junk. On this occasion I have the time & resoureces to ensure that it is indeed a leisurely stroll.

[Per]

Hi
I'm off to Nepal next month and wondering if I need to Change
my GB pounds into US dollers, or do most hotels and banks change
GB pounds into Rupees.


For historical reasons pounds are well known. Some hotels change money, e.g., the KGH, usually it comes with a requirment that the bill is settled in "convertible currency" and payment of VAT.

Sometimes it is a major hassle to change money in the hills. Only a few places have banks that are entitled to do it, the hours they keep tend to be awkward and sometimes there is an issue about the current rate because often the communication with Kathmandu is down and they would rather give you too little than too much as they are personally responsible if they give too much.

Per

[zemmo]

For historical reasons pounds are well known. Some hotels change money, e.g., the KGH, usually it comes with a requirment that the bill is settled in "convertible currency" and payment of VAT.

Sometimes it is a major hassle to change money in the hills. Only a few places have banks that are entitled to do it, the hours they keep tend to be awkward and sometimes there is an issue about the current rate because often the communication with Kathmandu is down and they would rather give you too little than too much as they are personally responsible if they give too much.

Per

Is it worth it to change money on the "unofficial" market? Is there much of a premium? TIA, Alan.