Cholera, dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, polio, rabies, tetanus, typhoid. You'll spend a lot more than this if you stay at luxurious hotels and hire a car occasionally. It's best to bring US-dollar denomination travelers' cheques and some US dollars in cash. You can exchange money in banks or in casas de cambio. Note that bank exchange facilities are often only open between 9 or 10 am and noon or 1 pm.
Exchange rates vary a little from bank to bank.
Major credit cards are accepted by airlines, car rental places and more expensive hotels and restaurants. Expect to bargain at markets and with drivers of unmetered taxis. Treat haggling as a form of social discourse rather than as a matter of life and death. All rights reserved.