Page 36 - The Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan

MONEY MATTERS

Top Three Tips
• Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a
N]POT_ NL]O ?]LaPWP]ɪ^ NSPNV^ L]P YZ_ ]PNZXXPYOPO L^ _SPd NLY MP OTʯN`W_ _Z PcNSLYRP
and are rarely accepted in shops and restaurants.

• We recommend that you bring a moderate cash reserve with you. Many of the countries
on this adventure rely on cash more than plastic, and ATMs are not always readily
available, so it makes sense to have a reserve that you can exchange as needed.

• Bring bills from the “large portrait” series, dated after 2000, and in good condition.
Look for crisp new money as torn, dirty, or taped U.S. bills will not be accepted.

Local Currency

For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/
currencyconverter dZ`] MLYV Z] _SP ʭYLYNTLW ^PN_TZY ZQ dZ`] YPb^[L[P]

Uzbekistan

?SP ZʯNTLW N`]]PYNd ZQ @eMPVT^_LY T^ _SP @eMPV ^`X. (Sum means “pure” in many Turkish
languages.) Banknote denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 50,000 sum

The U.S. dollar is widely accepted in Uzbekistan, but local currency can be useful in “sum”
^T_`L_TZY^ >PP bSL_ bP OTO _SP]P* /ZWWL]^ TY aP]d RZZO NZYOT_TZY L]P bTOPWd []PQP]]PO& MTWW^
_SL_ OZYɪ_ XPP_ _SP ^SZ[ɪ^ ^N]`_TYd bTWW MP ]PUPN_PO , XTc ZQ OTʬP]PY_ OPYZXTYL_TZY^ T^
`^PQ`W -PNL`^P ZQ TYʮL_TZY PaPY _SP WL]RP^_ ^`X MTWW^ L]P YZ_ bZ]_S L WZ_ TY @ > OZWWL]^ ^Z TQ
when you exchange money be prepared to get a large wad of Uzbek bills back.

Turkmenistan

?SP ZʯNTLW N`]]PYNd ZQ ?`]VXPYT^_LY T^ _SP XLYL_, which can be divided into 100 tennesi.
Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 manat
• .ZTY^% LYO _PYYP^T& [W`^ LYO XLYL_

U.S. dollars are widely accepted for payment, especially small denominations ($1, $5, $10)
in good condition. If you decide to exchange U.S. currency for manat, beware of the high
PcNSLYRP ]L_P^ L_ ZʯNTLW M`]PL` OP NSLYRP LYO SZ_PW PcNSLYRP NZ`Y_P]^ ?SP^P PcNSLYRP
]L_P^ L]P ʭcPO Md _SP RZaP]YXPY_ .SPNV bT_S dZ`] ?]T[ 7PLOP] _Z ^PP bSP]P dZ` NLY RP_ _SP
fairest rate.

36