Wigwag,
Looks like you'll have to go to Russia.
Macs have 802.11g because that is the latest and fastest (ratified) standard. It was designed to be backwardly-compatible with 802.11b and works fine worldwide on 802.11b basestations and routers. 802.11g public routers are setup to receive b & g traffic. I've never had any problem using a public wifi hotspot. Finding a free one (especially in the UK) is another matter, though..!
Applemacster