Carry some cash around

[Ganesha]

The West is very much wired when it comes to transactions based on credit card. Even a mobile food dispenser (Khaney kura ko Thelagada in Nepali) in the remotest parts of the highway will generally accept credit cards, if not through data connections afforded by in-built satellite phones in the card reader itself! But it always helps to carry a little bit of cash around.

You need coins to make phone calls and sometimes, you might want to use the public phone as cell phone signal might not be available or weak. I have heard of people asking newcomers to cities like New York to carry a bit of cash in case you bump into a gun toting teenager asking for some money. (That might save your life as they might run away with your purse rather than your life.) Many parking meters are electronic but there are a lot which need coins still. And sometimes, if you head into a convenience store, you might be unhappy to know that they take only cash, when all you needed was a buck worth of water to quench your thirst.

[kazi]

Well I think it all depends on where you are. Of course its always safe to carry cash around and I always do, not because I need it, but its a habit that I have from all the years back home. And even then, I have to admit that it has not always helped me out. For instance, at the laundromat which accepts coins only and the coin machine accepts dollar bills only; the same case with the vending machine. The worst problem is the parking meter here, which takes only coins in most of the places. And carrying around coins is really not a good option for me, but I generally have a roll in the car always.