A funny thing happens in Ecuador with the money . . .

No one has change. You start to notice it after only a few transactions. The almighty twenty dollar bill becomes like the Queen of Spades in Hearts - You are desperate to get rid of the darn thing, but it can be tricky. Even smaller denominations like 10´s and 5´s can become difficult. Often when presenting one of these bills for a smaller purchase (say $2 or $3) one is met with a blank stare by the cashier and ultimately the question, "¿Tienes Cambio?"

This question could be the national motto of Ecuador. It leads to the inevitable follow up question: Where did the change go? I have a couple theories on the subject. Most of them involve some type of change hoarding epidemic. I mean, isn´t it logical to think that a place that is taking in small bills and change all day (You can get a full lunch in Ecuador for 2-3 dollars or surf the net for an hour for 80 cents) would have change for your ten at 3pm?

I felt a little better about this quagmire when we met some Americans who had been living in Ecuador for 1 and 3 years respectively who were still as baffled as we were. Of course their amiable curiosity had practically generated into bitter resentment. "It get´s a little annoying when you get a $20 bill at the bank and you can´t eat," one of them told us.

Remarkably, even the banks can´t change a twenty at times. The BANK! In our numerous conversations about change we did meet one guy who successfully got change for a twenty at McDonald´s.

Maybe Ronald should consider diversifying his business . . .