Cash Payments, Foreign ATMs, and the First Plan “B”

What a day….. after checking out of the hotel and using up most of my cash reserves because they don’t accept credit card payments, I was on a mission to find an ATM. Finding an ATM wasn’t that difficult but finding one that would give me cash was! I couldn’t figure out if I was using the wrong pin number (I only have two and I knew at least one was correct because I used it the day before) or if the system decided to lock me out for some freakish reason. What I knew that I could not withdraw money from an ATM in Asuncion, Paraguay. That is a pity because the apartment landlord wanted cash payment in full upon move in. Now that left me between a rock and a very hard place. No money means no shelter and with the lack of places accepting credit cards, not much else either.

After determining that one of my banks set a ridiculously low withdrawal ceiling (which was promptly increased) and the other had to activate my card for use in Paraguay (and Argentina and Uruguay…Neilson take note!) I still had no cash for 48-hours. Various options immediately sprang to mind including throwing up a tent in the yard of Guyra Paraguay. Alas, not to worry, I am in good hands here, the people at Guyra Paraguay knew of a researcher working here in Asuncion who has a large boarding house with room. He graciously offered Peter and I rooms in the boarding house and I have to say after only a few hours, I enjoy the place much more than I would have a swanky, diplomatic apartment. We can walk to the supermercado and prepare our own meals of salad, bread and vino instead of trying to order off a menu that neither one of us can comprehend!

Moral of the Story: Make sure you notify your bank and activate you credit cards and ATM/debit cards to be used abroad!!! What a headache if they don’t work!!

If you would like to see larger version of any of the photos, you can click on them and view then in a new window! You will get a kick out of this one taken Sunday.