I've been present for a couple attempts on my and others' pesos. I guess if you were to vacation here for a couple weeks you could afford a trike ride for what would be $1.50 back home, the actual price is eight pesos, about $0.20. That's a huge difference obviously and that's also what I've been offered. I can dig that Americans may be easy targets for price gouging and thankfully I know a bad deal when it's presented.
Another attempt on pesos may have been an issue of forgetfulness but it seems to convenient in this case. A Jeepney driver didn't hand back the requisite four pesos after a transaction and a fellow trainee (Kaiti) and I were left whispering if we should ask for the change. Kaiti tried our first plan of asking “magkano?” but to no avail. Kaiti wanted me to try when we got to our destination and get the monies. I don't care for such awkward situations and would pay five pesos to avoid them but I was asked politely. When we said “para” (stop) to get off the jeepney I moved close to the driver and did away with formalities and asked “change?” Kaiti is four pesos heavier.
I've since found out that a Trike costs 20 pesos typically. You can split the fare if you load it up. Not safe but frugal.
Yo, Way to go saving those pesos.
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