How Much Is That?

Here's a little lesson for any of you that haven't traveled outside the United States.  Most countries have their own currency.  When you travel to these places, you wind up exchanging your money (USD) for the equivalent amount of that country's currency.  The exchange rate fluctuates between any two currencies but is commonly determined by interest rates, economic activity, gross domestic product, and the unemployment rate in each of the countries.

For example, on this trip to Egypt, we would be exchanging $1 USD (US Dollar) for 50 EGP (Egyptian Pound).  This exchange rate was actually very easy to calculate when paying for things throughout our tour.....except when it came to tampons!

Let's just say "someone" got an unexpected visitor during our trip to Egypt.  And, when I say unexpected, I mean this "someone" failed to pack for such unexpected possibilities.  We were on our last day of the Nile River cruise (3 tour days remaining), and we were about to learn something unexpected about Egyptian women.  Most Egyptian women do not use tampons because they are Muslim.  Instead, our tour guide was able to provide "someone" with a pack of pads for 150 EGP (or $3 USD).

Of course, after a day without tampons....."someone" was getting a little crabby!  So, as soon as we returned to our Hilton Hotel in Cairo we explored the small boutique shops located in the hotel's first floor lobby.  Staring right at me sat two small boxes of Tampax.  I quickly informed "someone" that I had discovered the elusive tampon in Egypt.

Without hesitation, we grabbed both boxes from the store display and marched up to the counter to buy them!  Of course, the first question out of Leonard's mouth was "How much?"  We waited for the clerk to type a few numbers into his calculator and then he turned the display towards us to show the total cost.

32,444 EGP

If you need a minute to figure out the total cost in US dollars.....so did I!  After a brief moment, when my brain finally realized how much they wanted for these tampons.....my mouth said "OH MY GOD!!!"  After spending a lot of this trip mastering our negotiating skills with the local shops, this store wouldn't budge one cent on its price.

To make a long story short.....let's just say "someone" wasn't getting tampons!  Here's the crazy part of the story....."someone" was able to get two full-body massages on the Nile River cruise ship for less than two small boxes of Tampax at our Cairo hotel.  I may be a royal cheapskate, but even "someone"  agreed with me that paying $64 USD was absolutely insane for 20 tampons.  Next time we visit Egypt....I'm packing tons of tampons!!!  Not for my wife, but to sell to all of the tourists.  If they are making $3 USD on each tampon over there.....I'll start my own black market right out of my suitcase!

***We wound up buying tampons at the London Heathrow Airport during our layover on the way home for 3.59 GBP (British pounds).  How much is that?  Only $4.90 USD!