Emptybottle.org

Sydney : Learning the intricacies of moving one's hardearned shekels around the world. Never really had to worry too much before - never had enough money to justify doing anything more complicated than buying traveller's checks, or converting it to $US and stuffing in in my jeans (or secret money-belt-pouch-holster thing, back when I was actually nervous after reading so many tales of pickpockets. The black money holster thing that I wore during most of my last circumnavigation was a particularly clever one, except for the minor fact that it hung directly under my right armpit, an unenviable position in the best of climates. By the time the second year on the road was underway, what was left of my original stash of travellers' checks smelled in a way that money ought not to smell). This time, I'm learning about some services offered by members of the Korean community developed over the years to get around the Draconian laws in Korea with regard to the movement of currency. It's easier these days, but still not as easy as it should be. Odd, given that until a couple of years ago, little was said about the absence of any requirement in Korea for a bank account to be held under your real name, that the flow of money in and out of Korea would be so tightly controlled. Part of the Hermit Kingdom mentality still, the xenophobia? Maybe. I'm off to get drunk now, and not in a mood to think it through any more. (And how many times have I said that in the last 20 years?)