http://english.pravda.ru/russia/history/12-11-2007/100676-russians-0
12.11.2007
Wealthy Russians ready to pay big money to put on prostitutes' shoes
Russian money-bags seem to be rather tired of rowdy parties with caviar
and floods of luxurious champagne that they used to organize right in the air
on board of airplanes. They no longer like to go to skiing resorts in
helicopters. Entertainment that is currently very popular among Russian wealthy
may seem strange to some people but be sure they are very expensive indeed.
Some well-off and whimsical Russians are ready to pay good money for the chance
of turning into a Paris homeless or a Geneva tram conductor just for one day.
The exclusive leisure may also include the roles of a waiter, taxi driver or
prostitute. Others on the contrary prefer playing with toy soldiers.
According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, there are just few things
in the world that can make wealthy Russians move. Being sated with their
everyday luxury they wish to pay huge money for a one-day role of a vagabond or
street musician, or follow the track of Alexander the Great about Afghanistan.
President of the Planet Bowling company Alexander Sorokin is one of the
wealthy Russians known for their inclination for spending spare time in a
rather whimsical way. Once he celebrated his birthday riding a bike at a speed
of 200 km/h. Soon, the man is going to have a very particular event together
with his colleagues. They will travel on horses about the Gobi Desert right
along the way Genghis Khan had passed. Alexander Sorokin says that all types of
leisure that entertainment companies offer are no longer exotic or thrilling
for him. He has tried everything including skydiving and jumping on mountain
skis from a helicopter. The idea of following the track of Genghis Khan is
really attractive and exciting for him. One would say that luxury for this man
is not at all diamonds but rather thrilling unforgettable moments.
The life of Russian billionaires is full of stress, and they prefer to
relieve of stress either by organizing risky adventures or hiring out as
ordinary sailors. Director of Event Company Mikhail Gorshikhin says that the
above entertainments have become trivial however. The Russian high society
thinks it is already commonplace to invite some 150 guests to come on board a
plane to further head for an unknown place that is kept secret for a grand
luxurious party there. This even may cost about half a million dollars but it
is losing the popularity among Russian money-bags.
Top-level managers, deputies and high-ranking officials and their wives
pay up to $7,000 per head for a night that they will be able to spend being
waiters, taxi drivers or homeless in Moscow, tells psychologist Sergey Knyazev,
the founder of the Producers Center company that organizes unusual
entertainment for the rich. He adds that the role of a one-night prostitute is
also popular among Russian wealthy.
Organizers of exotic leisure say it is particularly important for them is
to maintain confidentiality of their clients, and this turns out to be a really
hard task sometimes. These games are a very delicate thing and may even be
dangerous, Sergey Knyazev says. Wealthy and whimsical Russians now head to
Europe where they believe the roles of homeless, prostitutes and street
musicians will be more special than in Russia. Such role games are a method to
relieve of everyday stress for some people while for others they are an
opportunity to escape from their absolutely predictable life.
Head of the RBA Promo Holding company that organizes exclusive
entertainment, Alexey Vanchugov is sometimes really stunned with desires of the
company's clients. He tells about top-level managers, the ones known for their
preference of five-star hotels, who paid 25,000 euro each to spend a night in a
mountain village in Afghanistan during their voyage along the track of
Alexander the Great. These people do not want to parade their money they rather
want to get intellectual entertainment.
Two adult Russians, director of a realty company Eduard, 38, and his
friend Georgy, 45 formed armies of toy soldiers to stage war campaigns that
Napoleon had had. They gave battles at the Defense Ministry in Moscow under the
guidance of war strategists. At that, the first false Napoleon turned history
back and won the Waterloo battle while the other was crushed in the Borodino
battle. Both 'army commanders' paid for their unusual battles 28,000 euro each.
Translated by Maria Gousseva
Pravda.ru
