Tag Archives: McDonalds

Border Crossing Aqaba to Eilat

June 29, 2014 ~j Leave a comment

After we had finished our Bedouin experience, we reunited with our German friend to taxi to the border crossing. To cross from Jordan into Israel, we used the Wadi Araba border crossing from Aqaba to Eilat. This is a pedestrian only crossing with about 100m of no man’s land to walk through to get to the custom’s office. I can honestly say I’ve never a tank gun pointed in my direction before then!

Directions to Egypt and Jordan, Eilat Israel

Once through customs (which was a total breeze, our local airport is more stringent!) we made our way to the rental car company. Renting a car in Israel was our first experience with driving abroad. So liberating!Car rental was not overly expensive, distances are not extreme given the size of the country–especially compared to Canada where driving for 10+ hours to get to somewhere in the next province isn’t unusual!

Eilat is a haven for bird watching being a crossroads for migratory birds from Asia, Africa and Europe. It’s also a coveted site for SCUBA divers wishing to dive in the Red Sea. You can even swim with Whale Sharks! We didn’t have time for either, not that you could pay me to do SCUBA. FYI: The water of the Red Sea–not red!

Once we had the car, we realized we needed a quick pit-stop for continuing our journey. We stopped at McDonald’s. Yes, I know, roll your eyes! But, it was different–kosher food laws and all, so we wanted to check it out. No bacon or cheese to be found on a burger anywhere!

Kosher food wasn’t the only shocking difference. How about these fellows and their accessories?

Israeli McDonalds — Is this different from your local McDonalds?

That’s not something we see at the arches here! Any thoughts?
~j

ps: We usually check out McDonald’s at least once while away. There’s almost always something crazy on the menu that we’ve never seen before. Sometimes the choices are HILARIOUS!

North America, USA, Yellowstone

Yellowstone to Cody

November 2, 2010 ~j Leave a comment

Early evening on day 3 of the trip we left Yellowstone through the East Entrance. We drove through the Shoshone National Forrest and ended up in Cody, WY for the night.

Cody is a small place just under 10 square miles (25km²) with a population of almost 9000. AND, the Walmart is open 24/7. How is this physically possible? We have more than 10 times the population and Walmart still closes at 10pm. I guess the demand just isn’t happening here!

And, the other difference, try not to vomit, you read that correctly. FIFTY! Who needs 50 McNuggets?!? (FYI: I’m willing to bet a 10 piece meal here is almost that much.)

Walmart and Nuggets aside, I really enjoyed Cody. It was an immaculate little town–so clean and beautifully landscaped. Before we shipped off to our next destination we went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre. (Not the “It rubs the lotion on its skin” Buffalo Bill, just so we’re clear!)

Cody is actually named after William Frederick Cody aka Buffalo Bill. Wild West history isn’t really something I’m into or very well informed of, but Buffalo Bill seems like a hip dude for his day. He worked for the Pony Express. He was against slavery, he was for women’s suffrage, he fought for the rights of American Indians. He also wanted equal pay for equal work. He fought in the Civil War. And though he hunted buffalo, (that’s how he got his famous nickname) he also supported conservation. That’s pretty forward thinking for the times I’d say.

I for one say let us give our women absolute freedom and then it will do for us to talk about freeing other nations…I believe in Women Suffrage…I’m not one of the kind that think that God made woman to do nothing but sit at home in the ashes and tend to babies…if a woman can do the same work that a man can do and do it just as well she should have the same pay.

—W.F. Cody

The Historical Centre is actually 5 museums in one. In addition to Yellowstone history, Plains Indians history, Western Art and Buffalo Bill history, there is a huge fire arms exhibit. I’ve never seen so many guns in my entire life.

Stay tuned for Devil’s Tower…

Happy Travels,

ps: Cody has a Dug Up Gun Museum. That’s just crazy. No, we didn’t visit.

Peru, South America

El Sabor del Peru

June 15, 2010 ~j 1 Comment

Since we’ve been home, I’ve been asked a lot if we tried any interesting foods in Peru. Well, what do you consider interesting? I like to go to outdoor markets, supermarkets, vending machines, snack stores etc and look at the stuff they’ve got vs the stuff we’ve got. For example, the chicken halves with no packaging, actual chicken colour (not bleached like here), all stacked on top of each other in the meat display counter. Or, the different but same cereals and snacks. Like the Zucaritas to the left. Look familiar? Too bad the name to me looks like “Sugaries” or “The Sugareds”. I don’t know how well a cereal called “Sugaries” would sell in Canada, but at least Kellogg’s is being honest!

And then we also like to try stuff that is the same everywhere–like McDonalds and Coca Cola. Now, before you go all cuckoo and say, “You go to McDonald’s when you’re in another country, why bother?” It is kind of interesting. There are always different menu items and soft drinks. In Paris they had Peach Iced Tea and in Peru they had Inca Kola.

They also had the McBacon, and the McNifico, and they don’t serve hash browns with breakfast. You could also get a ton of different sauces. Mayonnaise and Ketchup are available in the little pumps at the condiment counter, and so are a several kinds of hot sauces, salsas and in Mexico City, even chopped up jalapeño peppers.

We did try other things besides McDonalds! We had 3 meals on our Colca Canyon trip. There were all sorts of potato dishes, Alpaca, Lima Beans, Rice, Soups, Chicken, Plantains, etc. We tried everything. (Little tidbit for you–the potato is from Peru; it was the primary food source of the Incans.) At one restaurant we had Colca Sours which is a Peruvian drink made from Cactus Fruit, Lemon/Lime juice, egg whites and some other stuff. They were quite tasty. We had trout from Lake Titicaca on Taquile Island. And, we went to a fast food place in Lima called Bembos. It was sweet because they used REAL ingredients on the chicken burger I got. REAL Edam cheese and a whole wheat bun. Amazing!

NB: Not my photo, and I can't remember where I got it from to give credit. — NB: Not my photo, and I can’t remember where I got it from to give credit.

We didn’t try Cuy. I just couldn’t. Maybe if it was served in a way that didn’t look like a dead rat it would be a little easier to stomach. I didn’t see anyone eating Cuy anywhere we went. But, we did run into some people who had wanted to try it but ended up choosing Alpaca instead as the Cuy was ridiculously expensive. FYI: Many families in the Andean highlands still raise Guinea Pigs for food; they’re also part of the folk lore and medicine of the region.

We also didn’t try this dish that we found in a tented market in Cusco. Do you cook cow snout with or without the teeth?

this bird flies

Tag Archives: McDonalds

Border Crossing Aqaba to Eilat

Yellowstone to Cody

El Sabor del Peru

Adventures of a couple seeing the world 2 weeks at a time.