A Lesson Learnt

First and most importantly we love Sanur and are having a lovely time.  However, I would be lying if I did not say our first couple of days were tainted by a foreign exchange experience at Phuket airport.  After arguing with my bank over the last two days I have learnt just how dodgy changing money at an airport is.  I always teach my students the importance of understanding exchange rates and how easy it is to lose money and even make money. I actually find myself wishing I was teaching right now to use our experience as a teaching moment.  Here is the brief scenario, as it just gets me mad to think about it.  
At the departures we changed our money at our bank's, SCB, foreign exchange counter.  Now I do know rates are worse at the airport but really as never changing loads I did not think it would ever make a significant difference.  However, I was wrong.  It does not make too much difference when it is a strong currency.  For instance, if 1 pound equals 40 Baht, unless you are changing loads and loads if the airport gives you 1 pound to 39 Baht it is not that big of a deal.  BUT, when you travel to a currency that deals in millions it makes a massive deal.  So in this case the airport offered a rate of 0.00371 for IDR, when the actual rate on that day was 0.0026.  Now it is not a currency I deal in, so I had no idea that 0.00371 was not the rate and just trusted my bank.  But when we arrived in Bali we saw the actual exchange rate and how much money we lost.  We changed just over 1000 dollars and they gave us the equivalent of 600 dollars.  The bank took 400 dollars.  This is crazy!! If we had just waited to we had gotten here we would have almost fifty percent more money. The real issue is of course I budgeted on us getting the correct amount.  I have spent two days arguing with my bank, they assure me every bank does this.  That this is their policy.  Basically, making tonnes of money off people that would never think to check the rates closely or assume 0.00371 and 0.0026 are close when it is a huge huge difference when dealing with millions.  A lesson learnt for me and I hope I can help others to realise how crucial it is to check these rates before changing money.
Okay, that is my rant and I am hoping it makes me feel better!
Besides that once again Bali has not disappointed, we just love it!  We are staying in Sanur, a place we have not been before and I will write more about it another day. 

Time to let it go, money gone and really what is important is I am here with my beautiful family in paradise. A