Every Hongkonger has, at some point, accidentally run out of credit on their Octopus card. And, failing to scrounge up enough coins amongst their pocket lint, some commuters have had to begrudgingly overpay with whatever note they have on hand. That’s why, sometimes, you may see a HKD20 — and on very rare occasions even a HKD500 or HKD1,000 note — shoved inside the bus farebox. But what do you do when you just don’t have money from this world?
Apparently, a Hong Kong bus passenger recently chose his fare using a joss paper bank note, commonly burned at funerals and festivals as offerings to the dead. A photo of the $5 million (Or is it $50 million? We’re not familiar with this currency) note inside a bus farebox has got Hong Kong netizens in a tizzy since it was shared by the popular PlaxtonL Facebook page on Monday.
https://www.facebook.com/plaxtonlbuspage/photos/a.805617726142597.1073741854.459548207416219/1263779766993055/?type=3&theater
The photo drew a flurry of responses, with some insisting the paper was actually a Vietnamese Dong banknote, and others taking a more superstitious route. “Call an exorcist!” one Facebook user said.
And of course, because this is Hong Kong, the conversation inevitably turned to the value of the banknote. “Wait, what’s the exchange rate between Hong Kong dollars and hell dollars?” asked a commenter.
On a more serious note, some netizens expressed sympathy for the driver as they said they might have some explaining to do when the boss finds out.
