Are there actually lands without McDonalds?

Someone at work was shocked to hear that there were actually countries that were McDonalds free. He was certain no place left on earth was unscathed from the wrath of the Golden Arches or the familiar green and white Starbuck's cup. And although, depending on the source, McDonalds are found in anywhere from 97 to 117 countries, there are currently 97 independent states that are McDonalds free:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Gabon, Gambia, the Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, the Holy See, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Just for the record, I don't really have anything against the Golden Arches. I think friends of mine have valid points about the fast food giant's impact on globalization, the environment, developing nations, peoples waistlines etc....None of this would stop me though, from kicking any unfortunate toddlers out of line who happen be ahead of me the that magical day McDonalds comes to its cooperate senses and brings back the Shamrock shake.

That being said, there is something seemingly untouched about a McDonald-less land that makes it all the more appealing.....

Mel's stolen sample itineraries

First of all, I would like to say that for someone that says they are not technologically savvy, you sure started adding posts quick Terri! Thanks for the packing lists. Have you narrowed down the pack that your going to buy to put all that stuff into yet? If not, I found an article for you on how to choose one.

I've also done a bit of searching and found a few sample itineraries from travel companies. There links are on the left. I've made a mock up itinerary based on the the ones that I (hope) cover everything we want to see, while allowing some time for the inevitable delays, side trips, and unexpected adventures. Dates are just for examples and we can keep playing with them as needed.


July 1-2 JFK to Moscow (arrive 7/2 @ 12:20 PM)

July 3 Moscow (see Kremlin, embalmed communist, the onion dome thingy etc....)

July 4 Moscow (celebrate Independence Day by telling anyone we are Canadian to avoid dirty looks and comments about current president.) Take Red-eye to Ulaanbaatar @ 8:35 pm

July 5 Ulaanbaatar (arriving @6:15 am) general gawking, veg and regroup day?

July 6-9 Head to the Gobi Desert, play in the sand, ride Camels, sled down dunes, head back toUlaan Bataar (jeep there, fly back or visa-versa)

July 10 Around Ulaanbaatar (or extra day for Gobi)

July 11-12 Naadaam Festival! (Enjoy three manly games and new 4th game, anklebone throwing!)

July 13-15--Day trips in central Mongolia or Khovgol National Park (Mountain/lake area near the Siberian boarder -- we can swing this if we fly)

July 16th back to Russia arrive at 10:30 am (time is on our side for the way back) we can continue on and fly home (arrive in JFK at 4:20 pm ) or stay overnight and

July 17th fly from Moscow at 2:20 pm and through the magic of flying against the time zones arrive at JFK at 4:20 pm)


Whew!!!! I'm wiped just looking at it!

Mongolia Packing list

MONGOLIA PACKING LIST

I have started a packing list, and in my usually style I started a box of items to bring, I have started to purchase small items such as a good flash light, bio soap, travel size necessities, and I gathered the things I already had and added to my box.

Here are some of the items suggested by my travel book

pouch for documents/cash
flash light
first aid kit
extra batteries
eye drops
bio friendly soap
moisturizer
large zip lock for wet clothes
sun block
light binoculars
insect repellent
lip balm
rain poncho
water bottle/water purifying tablets
multi-seasoning pack to spice up food
light weight sleeping bag
universal plug 220V(I have one)
tent
dry bag
inflatable pillow
lighter

Nadaam Festival

Here is the sample Festival itinerary I found

11th of July
9 AM: Breakfast at Chez Bernard Cafe
10 AM: Walk to the stadium
11 AM: Inauguration speech from the ¨President of Mongolia, and start of wrestling.
1 PM: BBQ
2 PM: Archery
Late afternoon, you can try Archery your self.
12th of July
7 AM: Meeting at Chez Bernard and departure for the horse racing. We will drive 37 km out of Ulaanbaatar
1 PM: BBQ
3 PM: Drive back to Ulaanbaatar
4 PM: Closing ceremony at the stadium.

Time Off Request Approved!

It came in yesterday Terri! I'm good with an arrival and a departure anytime between June 30th and July 17th! Sample itineraries to come soon!

Mongolia--Getting There and Away

"Getting there and away": the first of many rip-offs from my Lonely Planet Guide on Mongolia. I also picked up the Trans-Siberian Railway Guide while I was at it, since I've always had this Dr. Zhivago-like fantasy of riding the rails through Siberia into the land of Genghis Khan. (Mind you, I don't think that Dr. Zhivago actually ever did this, since I've never read the book and the 2nd part of the BBC mini series is still on top of the computer in its cozy little netflix envelope, but in my mind, I like to think he did) Terri points out that time keeps us from making the trek from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar via rail (4-5 days if there are no problems) but does like the Russia idea, so its time to start searching flights.....

At the risk of sounding simple-minded, I just first need to point out that Mongolia is really, really far way. Seriously, grab a globe, put your finger on Savannah, and then go up and around that bad boy until you hit Ulaanbaatar. Pretty much the exact opposite side. Well, at least I'll be in the same hemisphere.

So, in spite of the distance, I start to plan two potential routes. Thankfully the little search engine at kayak.com has been doing most of the research for me. I know that New York (JFK) and Atlanta (ATL) are going to be the places to leave and return from and that a straight shot into Mongolia (ULN) or having a 2 day pit stop in Moscow (SVO) are going to be the best options for us. (Flying to Beijing is also an option, but Terri would much rather see Russia and leaving Phil behind to go to Mongolia is bad enough, making a side trip into China would just be cruel)

After running some dates and times, I discover a few thing that I'm pretty sure I should have instinctively known without preliminary research:

1.) Mongolia is really, really, really, far away. (I know I mentioned this before, but have added an extra "really" to illustrate my new understanding of just how far it is)
2.) We will have to sit on a plane for a long time to get there (the "direct" route from ATL to ULN, with only one stop in Korea takes 3 fricking days!)
3.) A red-eye from Moscow is the only way to get into Mongolia. This make me wonder, what is it they don't want us to see?

So, after my research, search engines and spreadsheets, Terri and I come to two conclusions:

1.) via Moscow it is!
2.) uhh, we need to ask our respective places of employment for more time off......

The go ahead--(to sum up)

Ok, first of all I never thought that this trip would actually happen. When I first told Terri that my friends Becky and Kathy were moving there for work (Becky working as an environmental guru for the Asia foundation and Kathy as a teacher of all things Math and Science) I thought Terri would read the email, think "cool, always wanted to go there" and then delete it and get on with her day.


I really should have known better............


So when she called a few days after and started talking dates, I had to tell her that there was no way I could afford to get over there. Phil and I had just bought a house, he's going to a very cool but very pricey art school and even though Mongolia might be cheaper than say, London or Paris, the airfare was never going to show up on price line as a $399 round trip deal.

OK, Terri has always crushed all the evil step-mom stereotypes. She went above and beyond though when she called a few weeks later and said "You plan for it, I'll pay for it!" We started our preliminary plans, when can we go (summer) can Phil come with us (no, school and work) would anybody else want to come (most people laugh but Jeri says maybe). I ordered my Lonely Planet guides since the bookstores in Savannah apparently don't stock Travel guides for Mongolia (India, Italy, Japan, Korea,Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands etc...) Let the planning begin!

Lands without McDonalds--the reason.

My Step-mom and I are both big travellers. The more remote, off the wall and random, the better. So when two very good friends of mine found themselves headed to Mongolia for work, Terri and I saw it as a perfect opportunity to visit a country that we both have always wanted to see. This blog is going to serve as a virtual trip planner for the two of us and then morph into a travel blog once we are actually, uhhh traveling, which looks to be sometime in July.