Coin Roll Hunting The Caribbean

If you find yourself in the Bahamas looking for rolls of change at the bank, you are in for a long day of walking around.  I recently went on a much deserve and needed cruise-clear the head and all that, and get some sun.  I had a chance to get off the boat at the first port of call in Nassau.  One of the first
things you'll encounter is an onslaught of fellows offering taxi service.  I was reminded of the myriad of street hustlers around 4nd St in New York City,  I had it on good authority fron someone I met in an elevator that there was a bank downtown-close enough that I could walk it, no problem at all.

Being the trip was a family reunion of sorts, I'd not seen my sisters in over a year, the original plan was to do some shopping around the local establishments.  Nassau, if you have not been there, is similar in many respects to some of the top tourist traps I've found myself visiting.  T-shirt shops, diamond merchants, Brick-a-Brack, and of course Ice Cream.  No destination worth it's salt is without ice cream in an assortment of flavors you never heard of, even though it's probably a flavor I've had under a different name (Adirondack Moose Mint, Tropical Paradise, Great White North Vanilla).  I was with my brother and his wife, and my older sister with her husband.  This means we gotta stop at every stop, look at every thing there is to see, and touch as many things as possible even if there is no intention of buying a thing.  Thats what the ladies do.  Look and touch.  It's their way.

Bahamas $1, $5, $10

After an hour and a half of marching, looking at jewelry in which I held no interest and no intention of purchasing at...HOLY HANNAH, $15,000!!  Who on earth needs a necklace like that??  After an hour and change I looked across the street to see, of all things good in this world...A BANK!  I think this was ScotiaBank.  Nova Scotia?  I got no idea where there home office is, but here was a branch

Same bills flipped over

in front of me and surely, SURELY, they had rolled coins.  Picking up a number of rolls was on the top of my list.  That and going through the Super Turbo Slide on deck 14.


So I head on in...

Bear in mind, this is NOT the United States.  Things are different.  Not knowing the difference I got in line.  I waited for 30 minutes to get to a teller only to find this was not the line for the tellers.  They could not help me but sent me down a corridor to where the tellers were, as well as the considerably longer line to get to the tellers.  So I got in line and waited my turn.  And waited.  And waited.  About 45 minutes in I got to a teller who explained they only carry US coins and to try the Central Bank, only 3 blocks away, up the street then turn left, 1 block ahead, can't miss it.

So I head on over...

BU Rolls!!

Turns out, the traffic situation on a busy little island in the North Carribean tourist trap brings unexpected bursts in volume.  It's the taxicabs.  Those boats get into dock, the traffic surges as people get a cab from the hustlers to explore the town.  So they have barricades between the traffic and the pedestrian walkways to keep people from getting run over in the middle of their vacation.  Turns out, along with my boat was another from Norwegian Cruise Lines and one with Mickey Mouse on the side that also pulled into dock right about the time I set foot on the island.  I found my destination, but it was across the street. 

There's no justice I tell ya.


After a detour of about a half a block to find an opening in the barricade and a crosswalk and working my way back I found the door to the bank and let myself in uninvited.  There was a security guard standing at attention behind a desk.  He pointed my in the direction of the tellers.  It was a pair of guys behind glass busily counting money.  I explained what I needed.  They explained they don't have rolls.  Turn out they use kraft envelopes into which the coins are counted by hand.  OK, I say, I'll take one of each.  I scored a 40 count bag of 25¢, 15¢, 10¢, and 5¢.  Nothing larger, and no pennies.  It's

what I wanted most.  This is so unfair.

They said I should try ScotiaBank, and the bank right next door, the Royal Bank of Canada.  Off I go again...

Having tried ScotiaBank already I knew where to find the Royal Bank.  It was right next door, but
around the corner from my earlier approach.  Seems to me they coulda told me when I was there earlier.  No matter.  I went in, ask the guard, also standing at attention behind a desk, and found the right line to stand in for another hour before I found myself in front of a pleasant, congenial teller who was more than happy to fill my request.  I scored 20 rolls of brand spanking new BAHAMA PENNIES.

I'll keep one for myself.  I'll use a couple of them to add to The BIG Show, and I'm sure there will be folks more than happy to take one off my hands.