What would you do with $5oo million? You might be able to eliminate poverty in at least one part of the world and still have enough left over to buy a Prius. But that is not how the Saudis roll.
I came across this article in the Daily Mail that I found quite amusing. This is the kind of stuff that makes the peasants revolt. If Saudi Arabia finally joins in on the Arab Spring, this article deserves all the credit.
It features the latest purchase by billionaire Saudi Prince Al Waleed, who dresses like a Columbian coke dealer and has the shiny trophy wife and gold-plated everything to match. And his own fleet of planes. Not those tiny ones that you can’t fully stand up in without hitting your head – the ones we minions collect miles for: A 747 and Airbus 321. Now he’s adding to his collection with a fully decked out A380. Inside, it resembles Barbie’s dreamhouse more than a plane.
If you’ve ever been frustrated with a broken in-flight entertainment system, this plane has you covered: It features a concert room where, according to the article, “big-name performers will be hired for each flight.” I imagine performers from Ghadafi’s playlist will make the cut.
If you’re a fan of the air show, this plane takes it a hundred steps further with its own magic carpet: The floor is actually a giant screen that allows passengers to see what they are flying over! Apparently this is accompanied by a scented breeze to make you feel like you’re flying over the sea, in case you weren’t convinced it was actually happening.
I can’t imagine finding any hotel room satisfactory after stepping off the flying Liberace mobile. Here are some of the other features it boasts:
- Guest “staterooms”, with sleeper style seats for 20 guests.
- A “well-being room” featuring a Turkish bath lined with marble.
- A garage, so the prince can fly his Bentley around the world. Imagine that: Flying your $500,000 car in your $500,000 million plane.
- A boardroom with all kinds of high-tech gadgets to keep you connected to the minions running your empire.
- Private quarters: Featuring fives “suites” with king sized beds, entertainment systems, bathrooms and showers. This area also has a spiral staircase and an elevator, in case you don’t feel like climbing five steps.
- Now for the insane part: A prayer area with computer-generated prayer rugs that point the way to Mecca. Because when you’re performing your religious duties, you need the most high-tech gadgets on the market to bring you closer to God. Regular old fabric rugs just won’t do.
Fine, maybe I’d consider it. Only if I could charge it to a mile-earning credit card…sell it, pay the card off, and enjoy free luxury travel for life.
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