So it seems that in the world of gung-ho pursuits, there's adventure travel, and then there's adventure travel. You might think your skydiving and SCUBA diving trips are pretty hardcore, but have you met the people who pay to be shot at by pirates?
Oh yes, it's true. Luxury ocean liners in Russia are now giving new meaning to the term shore excursion by offering tourists with more money than sense the opportunity to patrol the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast with the hope of engaging in battle. Has someone seen Pirates of the Caribbean a few too many times, perhaps?
For the grand sum of around $5,800 a day, participants are let loose in some of the most dangerous waters in the world, armed with an arsenal of lethal weapons, including machine guns and grenade launchers. Pony up an extra eight bucks and get an AK-47 thrown in---you know, just for kicks.
Is this manslaughter? A death wish? The world's most irresponsible tourist activity? Well, all of the above, probably. One thing's for sure: all of a sudden that bungee jump you're considering seems positively tame.
Comments
Jun 26, 2009
Holy moly, that's insane!
(Also Jeanie's favorite phrase is totally "cruisin' for a bruisin'!")
Jun 26, 2009
Oh the uber-rich! Aren't they the most? I wonder what will be en vogue with them next?
Jun 26, 2009
That is the craziest thing I have heard in a long time.
Jun 29, 2009
I thought a reality show might be more appropriate. You could have a stranded sailboat with a couple bikini wearing 20 somethings on deck. When the pirates try to board, the reality contestants pop out of the water and attempt to neutralize the pirates. You could then add Las Vegas style gambling to the mix and also user voting for their favorite contestant. Of course you could start computer education programs and create jobs for the pirates so they would not want to kill people for their sandals... but that would be kind of boring and funding for something like that would be minimal. A good reality show killing pirates every week would gross more than Oprah.