The likeness of Indonesian paper money is striking in its resemblance to Canadian bills, and Monopoly money. The bright colours make it a pleasant experience to open my wallet and find a rainbow inside (if I've been to an ATM recently, that is). And the designs include important Indonesian figures and culturally significant locales around the country.
Indonesian currency is the Rupiah (Rp). I don't really know which is my favourite denomination... Depends on the situation, I guess. When I am riding a bus, it's the 1 000 (seribu) note, because unless I pay with it, the driver will surely not have change!
I like the funky pinkness of the sepuluh ribu rupiah(10,000) note, but one has to be extra careful not to confuse it with the seratus ribu rupiah (100,000) note which is a barely-distinguishable shade darker red.
Sepuluh ribu rupiah
With a value of just under a dollar, the 10,000Rp note it's quite handy. 10,000Rp can buy you:
- 2 loaves of bread
- 10 mangoes
- A complete dinner at a warung, or 2 at a kakilima (street vendor)
- 2 iced cappuccinos
- 41/2 rides on the "Malalayang" bus to my work, or to anywhere in the city
- 2 hours at a 'regular' internet cafe or 1 hour at the super-duper-highspeed
internet ZONE on the fourth floor of the Mega Mall
1 comment:
That's all very interesting. When I was there at the end of 2004 (two years ago) the conversion was approximately 7800 rupiah to $1 CDN. The value of the Canadian dollar has gone up quite a bit.
Love,
Jonathan
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