$500 million yacht to match the half-billion dollar plane

by Kraig Becker on

A few days back we posted a story about a custom built Airbus A380 that was being built for Saudi prince al-Waleed bin Talal. With a steam room, a Turkish bath, and a concert hall (complete with baby grand piano), not to mention a full garage for the prince’s Rolls Royce, the plane clocked in at a cool half-billion dollars. Not to be outdone by this lavish vehicle, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has ordered a new Yacht that, when completed next year, will be the largest, and most expensive, private ship ever built.

The new ship is named the Eclipse and comes equipped with two helipads, an onboard luxury spa, swimming pool, and a mini submarine designed to work as an escape pod should the need arise. The 557-foot boat even has its own missile defense system and bullet proof windows, while the master cabin is surrounded in armor plating.

The Eclipse will only be the newest addition to Abramovich’s navy when it hits the high seas next year. He already has three other yachts, but they only range in size from 161 to 377 feet. Clearly he needed something larger. Experts believe that this newest vessel was designed with the intent of overshadowing, eclipsing if you will, the 525-foot yacht owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the leader of Dubai. And what does this wonderful new ship cost? Approximately $495 million.

Lets see. Russian businessman? Check! Massive private yacht equipped with missile system? Check! Seems like we have our villain for the next James Bond movie.

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Flight attendants on hunger strike

by Annie Scott on

It’s hard for most of us to imagine a situation so dire it would inspire us to go on hunger strike. Sadly, that is not the case for the Russian flight attendants who were not paid for eight months of work when their airline folded.

According to United Press International:
“KrasAir ceased operations last October when it ran out of cash, the news service said. Part of the AirUnion alliance, the carrier had about 2,500 employees and folded owing an estimated $10 million in back wages to its employees.”

RFERL reports that not nine (as state by UPI), but seventeen flight attendants stopped eating on May 14. Six of the flight attendants have been hospitalized.

In this economy, I think we all know the fear that we’d lose our jobs — but to not be paid for eight months of work? And have absolutely no power to demand it? Maybe I’d go on hunger strike, too. Well stated on Wikipedia: “A hunger strike cannot be effective if the fact that it is being undertaken is not publicized so as to be known by the people who are to be impressed, concerned or embarrassed by it.” So here I am, publicizing it. Pay your employees, KrasAir!

Former KrasAir flight attendants not participating in the strike are reportedly planning to rally today near the KrasAir offices in Krasnoyarsk.

Gadling + BootsnAll – Picks of the Week (5.15.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome back to Gadling’s weekly “Picks of the Week” feature, brought to you by our friends at travel website BootsnAll. How does it work? We input thousands of travel variables into the Gadling mainframe computer, and out comes five of the best and most interesting travel stories from BootsnAll this past week, ready for your reading pleasure. Got your 5.25″ floppy disk ready? Alright, here’s what we found:

  • The Venice of the… – Venice Italy is arguably one of Italy’s, if not the world’s, most popular tourism destinations. So popular in fact, that it’s spawned a fair share of “imitators.” As Roger Wade points out, pretty much any city that has a canal or waterway is laying claim to the nickname, including spots in Iraq, Russia and India. Check out his list of “Fake Venices Around the World.”
  • Life and Death in New Orleans – New Orleans is renowned for its spooky above-ground tombs, a feature of the city obviated by its elevation below sea level. Jessica Spiegel takes a photographic tour of New Orleans’ many atmospheric burial grounds. Don’t be afraid – the images are downright beautiful.
  • Drunken Culture – go on, admit it. You like to have an alcoholic beverage now and then. Lucy Corne is in on your secret – and knows how to help you make the most of it. She’s compiled a list of 10 places where you can drink and pretend like you’re soaking up all kinds of local culture. It’s OK…we promise to tell everyone that you went to Dublin to see the Book of Kells. No really, go see that too after you finish your Guinness.
  • Staying Healthy – when you’re out traveling, having fun and throwing caution to the wind, it’s suprisingly easy to forget to take care of your body like you might at home. Never fear, Eileen Smith has six cautionary reminders to make sure you spend your trip having fun and not in the hospital.
  • Thailand English – ever considered teaching English abroad? It can be a highly rewarding experience, but also one not without its challenges. Chabli Bravo spent the past seven months teaching English in Thailand and has a few suggestions to make the experience as good as possible. Even if you want to teach English elsewhere, it’s a post that’s certainly worth a look.

Well folks, looks like we’re out of room for this week. We’re just going to have to save all the other great links for next time around. Tune in again next Friday for more Gadling and BootsnAll Picks of the Week.

Three travel ideas from the ITB Berlin Travel Show

by Tom Johansmeyer on

More than 11,000 exhibitors from 187 countries tried to make their mark at the 2009 ITB Berlin Travel Show. They showcased wines, highlighted unique local attractions and generally tried to show that they are the best places in the world for tourists to spend their hard-earned cash. Travel+Leisure tried to describe the industry’s hottest trends, but the article really came across as “here are a few cool things I noticed.” So, I took the coolest of the cool, below:

1. Get healthy
Plenty of destinations offer spas, yoga and fitness options – sometimes using them to theme an entire resort. But, that’s thinking small. Go all the way with medical tourism, and call those DDs your own in an overseas clinic. Before you develop visions of hacksaws and cigarettes over the operating table, some of these surgical getaways are in upscale facilities.

Hey, it’s up to you. Roll the dice.

2. Hearken back to the Cold War
Screw traditional cruise liners in favor of Soviet-era ships pushing down the Volga River. Praise Lenin, listen to a balalaika and drink Russian Standard vodka (quite good, actually). Lament how long it will take for the dictatorship of the proletariat to emerge.

There are other unusual cruise options out there as well – such as one in Laos that takes 28 passengers into a once inaccessible piece of the Mekong River from Vientiane.

3. Watch a new nation rise
Kosovo doesn’t have much to say for itself except that you should be patient, because the country’s just getting started. So, if you go there now, you’re getting in on the ground floor. Get to know the concierge. Tip him well. You’ll become a national hero.

May Day: Festivities around the world

by Brenda Yun on

May 1 is May day, and here in Hawaii it’s called Lei Day. Most of the islands’ schools are off today, and surfers will likely be in the water (as the first legitimate south swell of the summer season is here). You will find me and most of the Oahu’s daytime party goers celebrating Lei Day in Kapiolani Park, on the eastern end of Waikiki. There, between 9-5, will be a lei making contest, good old fashioned hula and musical performances, as well as plenty of food and locally made gifts.

Lei Day is all about giving and receiving aloha — and wearing leis that are one of eight colors, each representing one of Hawaii’s eight major islands. At Barack Obama’s (and my) alma mater, Punahou School, there is a grand Holoku pageant that features a royal court and lots of Hawaiian music and Polynesian dancing.

In other parts of the world, May Day means something rather different:

  • In England and other parts of Europe, a Queen of the May is crowned, and there is dancing around a maypole to celebrate the first day of summer.
  • My students tell me that only in Zurich (but not in other cities in Switzerland), there right-wing groups riot in the streets.
  • In other countries such as Greece and Australia, today is International Workers’ Day, kind of like the U.S.’s Labor Day (in early September)
  • Finally, in (post-)Communist countries like China and Russia, there are formal parades in the streets to celebrate the people’s earnest work.

However you celebrate today, I hope you receive a little “aloha.” Welcome to summer!