Although this is not really a political topic, I somewhat thought it is related to politics, as I think quite a bit of string-pulling & outside intervention was involved in the creation of the new Turkish Lira.

It wasn't just that over night the new Lira became roughly at par with the Swiss Franc, as well as the Canadian Dollar, but that some "power" decided that Turkish currency should be this way for who knows what purpose.

What I cannot figure out is this. I happen to travel a lot, and have not been able to exchange Turkish currnecy at any currency exchange booths anywhere in the world. You can exchange Thai baht, or Indonesian Rupee, but not Turkish Lira. It has turned into an obsession. Technically speaking, Turkish currency is one of the "stronger" currencies in the world, and yet, it is never listed in the "currency list boards" of exchange booths.

Any ideas...?

Where have you been to? I guess you can do it in Europe. IIRC it is possible to exchange in Italy&UK (I witnessed). Probably in some other countries. AFAIK some stores in UK also accept YTL when you shop.

I don't know about the rest of the world but YTL is easily exchanged in NW England. YTL is also listed on the exchange boards on display in the travel agents and the bureau de change. I think it is listed here in the UK now because Turkey has become a popular holiday destination. However, recently the rate is not always displayed. I assume this is because the rate is often changing at the moment (gaining strength against sterling).

I'm guessing Thailand and Indonesia are popular back packer destinations, but I don't know that for certain and I don't know if they are more popular than Turkey for such travellers.

This is strange because I didn't see a single currency exchange booth in London that had Lira listed.

But, thanks for the replies. I am glad to hear that it is exchangeable, then.

I tried it twice in Toronto, and they wouldn't take it.

I can't speak for London, only North West of England, as I said before.

I was in Turkey at the end of March and some weeks after my return I found a 20YTL note in the back pocket of my jeans. The note was in perfect condition . . . after being washed and tumble dried at least 3 times. It brings a whole new meaning to the strength of a currency .

I only have one question...when will they call the NEW lira the OLD lira? Its been out for quite a while now! Will there ever be a middle aged lira?

In manyof the places I went to on my last trip they still use millions. It must be confusing to those who didn't visit Turkey before Jan 2005! 2 million for a cup of coffee-wow!