I like posting at least once a day. In Mongolia I had the luxury of living in the future so posting at 7pm Mongolia time would show up in the US at 7AM (day-light savings notwithstanding). Now, that I’m temporarily stateside I need to adapt to being behind the times by writing my post the day before.
In order to not skip another day, I’m throwing in this nonsense post to let you know that I will be getting back to my scheduled programming so long as I’m stationary.
That is all.
Go Patriots! What a choke job by the Packers.
Of course the year I move from Phoenix, the Superbowl comes there. Actually this is the second time.
36,000 miles later, many headaches, a lot of drama following fortunes made and lost, I’ve returned to these United States. The voyage began in July 2014 and today, the 17th of January 2015, I’m taking a few days to catch my breath before I’m back at it again.
Hopefully the a-live posts over the last month have been entertaining as I chronicled my exodus from Mongolia. I now return to my regular blogging of Trip Reports from my laptop instead of the trusty Blackberry. Obviously I plan on doing much more than redundant posts about first-class showers that but it will be nice to catch up on and relive this latest adventure.
Here is the routing and map of my travels from when this all began:
Today while on the Disney Bus to Animal Kingdom, I had an eye-opening experience when I heard older people talking points. They were my parents’ age and were embracing the idea of points for stays at hotels throughout the world. This was a strange encounter as my parents do not get nor do they support my points hobby.
Ever interested, I listened intently to try and figure out what made these people different from my parents. Then it hit me; these were not points churners. These were members of Disney’s Vacation Club, a points scheme invented by Mickey so families could come to Disney somewhat affordably year after year.
My parents signed up for Vacation Club in the 90s and still come to visit even though my sisters and I are somewhat all grown up. Indeed, many of my fondest memories are coming to Orlando for spring break before heading off to college.
As I sat and listened to discussions of ‘banking points’ and using points to go to Hawaii, I wondered why my parents would endorse this program that cost money to join and requires yearly dues with similar attention to detail needed to maximize membership benefits versus churning cards and paying annual fees.
In my opinion, the points game is far more flexible with where you can go and how you can get there. And with MS the costs associated with pursuing the hobby are much more reasonable.
As I was leaving the bus, I heard a Vacation Club member use the word ‘aspirational’ to describe a Vacation Club property they hoped to visit.
Perhaps points churns and Vacation Club members aren’t so different after all. Perhaps someone could tell my parents the same.
OK, so there isn’t a W Disney but how funny would it be if that was the name of a hotel here. Instead, this is a quick commentary of Disney hotels in general whose prices are astronomical and subpar guest services.
I haven’t been to Disney in a decade but I do not recall everything being so expensive. Today at SPG’s Walt Disney Swan property, my dad was duped into paying $20 for 3 hours of parking. When did Disney start charging for parking?
A burger with fries at the resort? Also $20. The cost of hotels is so steep that the only magic left in the 407 is when a family of four pulls off a day at the park with the kids with money left for food. The cost of admission for Epcot and the like are right around $100 with a nominal discount of $4 for kids age 3-9.
For these outrageous prices, maybe it’s better to take the kids to Las Vegas, at least then the parents stand a chance of breaking even.
I’ve been trying to sell Global Entry to all my international travel friends. For $200 you get 5 years of skipping the immigration counter and coming back to the United States free of hassle.
The question I always received was “how do they know you’re not bringing in drugs,” if u skip the desk? The answer is supposed to be because you went through the background screening and interview process making you a trusted traveler.
Today I found out that trust must be earned beyond applying and being approved for the program. After 14 hours in Cathay first, I approached the Global Entry machine, swiped my passport, and took my picture.
With no bags checked I was ready to smell the smells of America for the first time in half a year. Instead, I was told that I was randomly selected for screening.
Randomly selected? What’s the point of Global Entry if I’m just as randomly selected to go through extra security checks as I was before I applied for the program?
The check took only a few seconds as I joked the agent that this was my first time using the system and I wanted a refund for what feels like the old days where I was always randomly selected.
Another chapter of the book is closed. I’m packing up and shipping out of Mongolia via Hong Kong. Some decisions are no brainers like drafting Bron Bron with the first pick. Others are straight busts like drafting Darko Millicic instead of Carmelo Anthony and a whole host of other players.
But recognizing the failure of a gamble however ill-advised it was leads to better preparation for the next selection. Otherwise you’re stuck with Josh Smith jacking up 3s with no regard for human life.
My name is Darko and I approve this message. So long Ulaanbaatar, see you never again.
At least I’m leaving in style thanks to Cathay 1st.
How does George Costanza and Wan Chai go together in the same sentence? Simple. I like George seek out the finest toilets in all of the world by walking into 5-star hotels and pretending to be a guest.
Entering the lobby with confidence and my Western face leads me to the splendid ivory, bathroom attendants, and first-class soap.
Why am I now telling you about this strategy? Simple. Because I’m in Wan Chai and finding a clean toilet among all the filth is damn near impossible.
The press in Ulaanbaatar is depressing. Once a mighty empire, the land of Genghis Khaan has become a wasteland in all senses of the word.
The country is literally standing on a gold mine but the government’s mismanagement to put it kindly or corruption to put it bluntly has rendered the prospects of striking it rich a foolish endeavor for those who were naive enough to believe it is possible.
The mood on the ground is captured by gazing at the sky. Depending on the vantage point, the impression of Mongolia will vary. Looking off into the horizon, the sky is clear, blue, and endless. Panning in, the film from the smog of burning raw coal and tires is stifling.
The self-inflicted problems of a land that otherwise would be prosperous is baffling. A democratic government, limitless reserves, and a proud history are not enough to inspire hope. Years come and go but change does not. With no unifying leader to muster the nomadic mindset of its people, Mongolia remains stuck in the shadow of its former self. Though everyone believes that a return to greatness is inevitable, no one has laid out an orderly way as to how this will be achieved.
The way forward is to embrace the ideology of what made the country great in the past appreciating that complacency and bureaucracy were not the battle cry for the Khans of the past.
Two nights at the Hyatt Regency was the proper prescription following the interminable bus ride that was my time in Burma.
Two nights was also enough to know that cash and points isn’t as great a value when the cabrini green housing project known as the Chunking mansions are located next door.
Hyatt goes for $100 a night + a ten percent service charge while your room in the mansion goes for $33 a night (negotiable based on your tolerance of living conditions).
The room is very tolerable. It comes with AC, hot water, WI-FI, and a television. Makes my Mongolia apartment goat herder look like a welfare case.
But the reason I advise to stay in the mansions is because the rooms are very small. They are so small that you have to, hangover or not from playing the 7 Eleven game, leave the room and explore the city.
Much like the two days at the Hyatt, two days at the hostel is all I would advise for your sanity and for your liver.
Here’s the fashionable room worthy of its own hotel review.
