Uzbek Som

Traveling around with Som, Uzbekistan's currency, is a pain. $1 USD = 2,300 Som (official rate), but the black market rate is 3,000 Som for $1 USD. The biggest denomination is a 1,000 Som note. So 20 bucks is 60,000 Som. Try fitting that into your wallet. Bank cards are not accepted anywhere nor are there ATMs. Annoying. Changing money isn't difficult as every bazaar has a spot and it's surprisingly not shady. 

A shared taxi ride around town costs 3,000 to 6,000 Som, to the train station 20,000 Som. A Coca-Cola costs 7,000 Som or over 2 bucks while their national orange soda or super sweet tea costs 1,000 Som. Local Uzbek beer called Pulsar, which is a light lager and pretty good, costs 3,500 Som. The Danish beer Tuborg is the only western brew available and it costs the same as a Coke. 

We have been using Mark's school backpack to lug around the thousands of Som needed for commerce in the country. Every Uzbek carries a kind of purse or murse. Counting a 90,000 Som meal takes about 10 minutes after both parties have shuffled through the stack.