High finance - don't pay with dollars older than 2009

When Walter went to settle the bill for our last 3 days' accommodation, bar and restaurant (we had pre-paid the first 3 nights, thinking we may travel further afield after that) we discovered that they don't accept dollars printed before 2009. This was high finance for me, requiring multiple exchange rates (from metacais into dollars at 26:1) and then some negotiation, on Walter's part for them to take the 2 notes printed in 2006. Walter is an extraordinary negotiator, though, exhibiting no impatience and slowly wearing down his opponent with logic and reasonable argument.

Not my dollars, unfortunately, image courtesy of Google images. You have to search for the year of printing, and the manager told us the owner would subtract the amount from his salary should he accept the 2001 bill.

They were firm on the note from 2001, however, which saw us scratching through wallets for rands to pay the outstanding amount (and more high finance exchanging dollars into rands). No, they don't take credit cards (that was on the website, why not the dollars?)

Apparently this is quite common in Africa, although it was news to me. Now you know too.

Of course this meant we didn't have enough cash to buy petrol in Xai-Xai and would have to draw money, which we did. Also important - the banks in Xai-Xai don't have Maestro ATMs so you can't draw from your debit card. The Xai-Xai FNB did take my VISA card, however, so we could draw enough for petrol, snacks and the toll fees. 

That would have been fine and dandy, apart from the traffic fine.