Jaunted

Medical Tourism

Russian Rubber Tourism

November 8, 2006 at 9:12 AM | 1 Comment

Medical tourism, sex tourism, or any of a number of new kinds of tourism: for many people these days, the main purpose of travel is nothing like seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa anymore. And if you want designer, custom-made condoms--made by a qualified urologist, nonetheless--then Moscow is your destination of choice.

Dr. Pomozov found a niche market when patients complained that they couldn't get condoms that fit them properly. Now he's expanded beyond producing "sized-to-fit" condoms to any kind that customers request:

Some patriotic people ask for them with Kalashnikov guns drawn on them while there are others who want something romantic like Venetian gondolas. We do it all for them.

Just be sure to tell your friends you're heading to Moscow to see Red Square or the slowly decaying body of Lenin.

[Photo: al greer]

Related Stories:
· Russian Doctor Launches Fancy Condoms for Demanding Clients [Mosnews]
· Post-Perestroika Prophylactic [Jaunted]

Moscow

Post-Perestroika Prophylactic Preservation

October 5, 2006 at 9:22 AM | 0 Comments

Visitors to Moscow usually have a few key objectives: to sneak around the Kremlin, step foot on Red Square and pay a visit to Lenin's Mausoleum. Looking at dead guys is a strange branch of tourism, but there's some morbid fascination that brings the crowds in.

Each year, Lenin takes a short break from being on view, and this year it's longer than usual. From November 10 to December 26, Lenin'll be on a prophylactic break, according to the Russian tourist board. Some special biochemical procedures will spruce up the old fellow, and they say that with the right regular treatment his body will survive at least another 100 years. A pity, though, as all he really wanted was to be buried in St Petersburg. But he's not around to change anybody's mind, and we are, so get into Moscow fast, or wait til the post-Christmas viewing to see the waxy face and maybe a new suit.

[Photo: phdstudent]

Related stories:
· Prophylaxis in Lenin's Mausoleum [Russia Info-Centre]
· Mr. Putin, it's time to Bury Lenin [International Herald Tribune]

gambling

The New Beggars of Moscow

September 28, 2006 at 10:05 AM | 0 Comments

If you're traveling through Moscow soon and get the impression the city's getting poorer, it might all be part of an elaborate social campaign. Casinos are now allowed to open inside the city, and the Moscow City Council is afraid of the results when locals start to get addicted to gambling.

What to do? Of course, hire a bunch of actors to play beggars outside casinos. The idea is that these beggars should tell prospective gamblers a tale of woe: "I was a high-paid exec until I gambled, and look at me now" kind of stories. Ten points for originality, but let's wait and see how it works.

[Image via spinksy71/Flickr]

Related stories:
Actors Dress as Tramps [Ananova]

Flickr

Monolithic Lithographs

May 23, 2006 at 2:37 PM | 0 Comments

We've always been fascinated by the trend towards giganticism in architecture. Make it bigger, make it monolithic, make it more meaningful--it's all the same to a certain kind of draftsman. The hope is that this trend is starting to abate, as the focus these days turns towards design as a whole, especially the interiors and how they are furnished. Perhaps this will lead to construction on a more human scale, but there's no guarantee.

Nonetheless, not even Texans can compete with some of the proposed architecture of the old Soviet Empire. Check out this photographic archive of planned structures from the 30s to the 50s, which nowadays look like some retro science-fiction illustrations, but at the time must have seemed awesome. Actually, they still seem pretty awesome; the only difference is that now we know they'll never get built, and that Tyler Brulé wouldn't approve of them.

Related Stories:
·   The Moscow that Never Was [PajamasMedia]