I left Uzbekistan today with about 1,200,000 more Soms than I intended. Two problems: hotels in Uzbekistan do not accept local currency for room payment and Soms cannot easily be exchanged outside Uzbekistan.
One of my fondest memories of my time in Tashkent will be the whole “black market” exchange process. Everyone is anxious to exchange money with you. Taxi drivers? Check. Restaurant waiters? Check. School teachers? Check.
It’s an amazing country that has virtually no official exchange offices but has millions of unofficial exchange offices via its citizens.
With the official rate at 4,120 UZS (Uzbekistan Som) to 1 USD and the black mark rate over 7,000 to 1, it seemed like a no brainer to exchange dollars and settle our hotel bill in local currency.
So last night I pulled out two $100 notes and easily found a willing participant to exchange it. I went to bed pleased that our already cheap hotel room at the Hyatt Tashkent would be even cheaper.
But when Ben and I checked out this morning, we received the bad the news–
Oh no sir, you cannot pay in soms. Only dollars.
I was incredulous. First off, a hotel staff member had helped me to find someone to change the money! Second, how can a hotel not accept payment in local currency?
You can bet I pushed back, but the front desk attendant claimed it was national law. Law or not, it is also a very clever way to pad profits…
Oddly, incidentals can be paid by Soms, so we got rid of some of them at least, but I was left with this souvenir–
Not surprisingly, no one will exchange Soms here in Tajikistan…
Thus, I’m left with the prospect of returning to Uzbekistan (and maybe catch the Il-114 this time) or not buying toilet paper for awhile.
Any tips on how I can liquidate my cash?
Did the local uzbek banks not want to exchange it back to usd?
Great question I should have addressed. Foreigners can only change Soms to Dollars at Uzbek banks that were earlier exchanged from Dollars to Soms. Whenever you exchange money through an official avenue in Uzbekistan, your passport details are recorded.
If we did not have an early departure this morning, I probably could have exchanged the Soms back on the black market…at a far worse rate then perhaps even the official one.
next time you see those big UNICEF transparent donation boxes in the middle on an airport just dump that stash in and get some feel good juice out of it ?
I think you should save the cash and maybe make a trip to Uzbekistan again in a few months or next year to fly the IL-114. Take the fact that you are stuck with this cash as a sign that you need to come back to Uzbekistan to fly the IL-114 before they are retired.
Save them until there is a change in government and new national currency. Then they will be worth a lot more as collectors items on eBay.
Lucky or you should have read the comments after the post he first made about exchanging money on his blog. There he even “joked” about getting his hotel room for less using the black market exchange.
Several comments down a foreigner living in Uzbekistan stated that it was illegal to pay for hotels in local currency. It had to be in US dollars.
Too bad Ben/you didn’t read the comments. It would have saved YOU a lot of hassle and expense.
Donald, I’m bummed I missed your comment. Sorry about that.
No the comment was from another, not me.
I’m bummed you didn’t know. 🙁
Well maybe Augustine can use some new wallpaper for his room? Or make “Soms” the theme for his upcoming 1st birthday party! Hats made of soms, bibs, placemats, napkins, streamers, confetti….any way to use up that paper.
Otherwise it gives you a big incentive to return and explore parts of the country you didn’t have time for on this trip.
I have found that Wells Fargo will exchange any foreign currency
What I did the last time I was in Uzbekistan and had leftover som – went to a hotel/hostel and offered to change with new arrivals.
If it is a law then you have no option but if it is a scam I am now getting tired and reacting. Not really related to tour case but for example, black cabs in London were kind of forced to accept credit cards so they could be on pair with Uber. Problme is that many many times when you get to your destination and try to pay with a card the card reader is always “broken”. If you don’t have time or don’t want to argue you end up paying in cash. The other day I got tired of the scam and when I was informed the card reader was broken I simply said I did not have cash and opened the door of the car as if I was going to leave without paying. Guess what? Miraculously the card reader started to work and I was able to pay with a credit card.
Make an artwork like origami, or a new wallpaper.
Or better, take a deep look at the money, take a deep breath and meditate on greed….
Have a reader giveaway.
Sell it on ebay. Sell it to collectors or as a vintage item.
Make a new blog called “one som at a time” where you tell the readers how you spend the soms….
Matthew you need to come little earlier to airport ATM they used to exchange sums to $ or Hui Hua Chua commented better option, next year if you come back with your millions situation will be different new president is about to erase black currency market only banks will exchange soon it’s all result of US sanctions to Russia
I’d find the closest gentleman’s club in LA with Uzbeki strippers and make it rain up in there!
If you had paid the hotel in a US$100 bill, would they return you the change in USD also or soms (and if so, at what rate)?
USD.