|
 |
|
Get them for the one you love, put them on your wish list, or treat yourself – 7 gifts you’d never think of giving, and where to find them
They jump from great heights to land on their
tiptoes, sparks fly from their clanging swords and manly shouts issue
from their lips. If you’re looking for a way to get the crowd going at
your holiday party, there are few things that can stir the soul like a
Georgian dance ensemble, which, on less than two weeks notice, can be
organized by Moscow-based Present Show, a company specializing in the
procurement of exotic gifts for any occasion. Dressed in national
costume – high boots, shaggy hats, bandoliers and all – the dancers
will perform a medley of traditional Georgian numbers, from the
graceful kintauri to the martial, knife-flashing khanjiluri,
to the wild applause of your guests. Once they leave the stage, call in
the Georgian choir, also provided by Present Show as a separate
package, for some rousing polyphonic singing that will have your hair
standing on end.
Renowned for its record-breaking speed and ability to reach near-cosmic altitudes, the Soviet-built MiG-25 once struck fear in the hearts of NATO generals. These days, the model has been all but replaced by a generation of newer aircraft, but still sees limited use, in part as a vehicle for thrill-seekers looking for the world’s ultimate amusement park ride. If you or someone you know has an inner fighter pilot that’s just dying to get out, Present Show can get you in the cockpit of a MiG-25 for a heart-stopping flight at supersonic speeds. The adventure begins on a Podmoskovye
airfield, where participants are given a medical examination, an
external tour of the aircraft and some time to get friendly with its
pilot. Soon after, you step into your flight suit, strap on your oxygen
mask and blast off, eventually reaching a top speed of Mach 3 (three
times the speed of sound) and climbing to an altitude of 25 kilometers.
That’s right at the edge of the stratosphere – high enough to see the
curve of the Earth below you, and the blackness of outer space
overhead. If you ask nicely, the pilot will even let you take the
controls for a bit. Afterwards, Present Show can arrange to have your
gibbering, quaking self driven back to Moscow, where you will spend the
next three years regaling friends with tales of your supersonic
adventure.
Budget option: If scraping the edge of space at eye-popping speeds
isn’t your cup of tea, meet the humble Yak-52, a single-propeller
aircraft that won’t even come within spitting distance of the sound
barrier. Don’t underestimate this airplane, however; the Soviet Air
Force used it to train jet-fighter pilots in aerobatics – the science
of performing rolls, somersaults and other vomit-inducing maneuvers,
all of which will be executed repeatedly during your flight.
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
