"Sun International" - The Lost World Automatic translate

The sun never sets on Solomon Kerzner’s empire. Initially, it illuminates the glass domes above his possessions in the Comoros. It then gives warmth to numerous subjects in South Africa. After that he heats the salted water in his pools in the Bahamas and only then moves to the rooftops of his hotels and casinos in New Jersey, Connecticut and Nevada.

Now there will be a story about the man who built his tourist empire, including the unique luxury resort in South Africa, of which you, of course, have heard. Getting there is easier than it sounds - Atlantis Travel will help you, website: atlantravel.ru

Every day, millions of guests come to King Solomon’s palaces, including Rod Stewart, Elton John, Julio Iglesias and Michael Jackson. About 25 years ago, the king married the Miss World. But he divorced, deciding that his wife was a little old and had lost her former charm. It seems that time is not dominant over Solomon himself… He hardly spends every night in the air, tirelessly flying on a personal Boeing from one corner of his empire to another. Like his biblical namesake, King Solomon is wise, adventurous, loving and fabulously rich.

He has a lot of friends - people like him, who come from Odessa - Hershka Kozlov, Zhora Rubinstein… They call Solomon Kerzner just “Solo”, which means “sun” in Latin. The Kerzner empire, which includes dozens of hotels and gambling houses, numerous resorts, parks, amusement palaces and sports clubs, is called "Sun International". And near every hotel, near every golf course, near all its beaches, giant aquariums and cinemas, there will definitely be a casino. Only one of the gambling houses (or rather “gambling palaces”) located in Connecticut on the lands of the Mohican Indian tribe brings in more than $ 1 million daily. Of course, Solomon Kerzner was born under a lucky star. She generously gives him her green dollar light.

The ascent of the "solar god" to the peaks began in the poorest areas of Johannesburg. It was here, in the heart of apartheid, that Solomon’s restless parents, Jewish immigrants from Odessa, settled after long wanderings in Turkey and Argentina. A talented young man was the hope of his parents. Sema went to the hotel business and was terribly proud when in 1964 he was entrusted with the development of the project for the first five-star Beverly Hills hotel in South Africa. A few years later, Sema opened his own company. He pondered the name for a long time and settled on the “sunny” version. His company is now called "San" - "sun", and Sema turned into Solo. Initially, he owned only six tiny mid-range hoteliers. Further, the development of events reminds Kertsner himself of the game in "Monopoly" - he buys up land, builds hotels, fights with competitors…

After 15 years, Solomon already has 29 hotels in different cities of South Africa. But to conquer the world, you need a completely fantastic project. So the idea is born to build among the orange sands of South Africa a city that has not yet been on earth.

The enterprising Solomon Kerzner begins to build his own "city of the sun." And in 1992, the whole world learns about Sun City. Previously, these places were only rarely heard by the cries of the Zulus and the roar of predators. Today, 10 thousand orchids, 60 thousand lilies, 380 baobabs are planted here. Only here now beauty contests and golf championships are held, pop stars and Hollywood movie stars come here. The pearl of Sun City is rightfully considered an ultra-modern complex called “The Lost City” with wonderful parks and castles, which are an incredible mixture of Indian, African, Arab, European architecture.

The best architects of the world, leading specialists in artificial landscapes and special effects, worked on the embodiment of Kerzner’s ideas. According to the project of the Californian Al-Gerard Ellison, who built Disneyland in Florida, a medieval castle in the style of “One Thousand and One Nights” appeared in the crater of an artificial volcano. As if by hand, through the efforts of Hollywood wizards, film decorators, artificial jungles grew around, at / 1 by which holographic lightning flashes and storms sweep. Their Australian counterparts created a system of artificial lakes. Resorts with a squeal rush into two-meter waves, surf with enthusiasm

It is curious that the “lost city” is not even located in South Africa, but in the autonomous dwarf state of Bophutatswan (abbreviated as Bop, as its inhabitants kindly call it). For a quarter century, the presidents and prime ministers of Bop have remained Solomon Kerzener’s best friends. And no wonder: after all, as they say, local authorities are entirely on the content of the king of the “solar empire”.

With the "Lost City" began the triumphal march of Solomon on the planet. His horse is the disappeared civilization. And he invariably turns his passion into capital.

So after Sun City appears the giant "Paradise Island Atlantis" in the Bahamas - the world center of water sports, hotel business (2 thousand rooms) and, of course, a casino. The main attraction of "Atlantis" Kerzner - a unique water park. In fact, this is the largest open-air aquarium in the world - representatives of more than 100 species of ocean fauna live in six lagoons. Sixteen masters of spearfishing work daily to replenish the unique living collection of Solomon Kerzner. The scenery for scuba diving is the artificial ruins of the palaces and temples of the legendary Atlantis. Millions of tourists annually visit the "Paradise Island", where they await an eerie road along the glass corridor at the bottom of the "shark’s bay" and a crazy descent on a rubber raft along a cascade of 40 waterfalls. From the top of the giant Mayan Temple, entangled in plastic pipes and diving boards, vacationers glide with joyful screeching into the pool with tinted "bloody" water. Acquaintance with the "paradise island" continues, as one would expect, at the tables for playing blackjack and baccarat.

It is not known whether gambling houses existed in real Atlantis, but there are as many as six of them on the territory of Atlantis of Solomon Kerzner.

Chingachgook’s fellow tribesmen also had no idea about the gambling business for a long time. However, now 1,100 of their Connecticut descendants, led by the chairman of the Council of Elders, teacher Jane Fawcett, have become Kerzner’s business partners. The tribe of the Mohicans concluded a contract with Solomon for a period of 100 years. The Indians leased the newly-minted "sun god" part of the tribal lands, and by the end of 1996 he built a gigantic casino complex called the "Mohican Sun." In the design of the Native American casino, folklore motifs were used. So, for example, instead of the traditional joker, on the playing cards they depict a totem mask of an evil Indian deity. The largest and most luxurious bar called Big Wolf is located on top of an artificial hill, studded with spears, broken arrows and jagged tomahawks. The Mohicans Sun is today considered one of the most profitable casinos in the United States.

Even the scandal that broke out in South Africa ten years ago did not hurt Tsar Solomon’s reputation - the local authorities accused him of bribing former Prime Minister Bop George Montazim. These accusations did not overshadow Kertsner’s wide horizons - he easily got out of the “shelling” and the case was soon closed due to the sudden death of the main prosecution witness. At about the same time, Kerzner broke up with his third wife, Annelina Krill, who won the Miss World crown in 1974. Today, the ruler of the "solar empire" has five children - the eldest of them, 32-year-old Batch, he recently officially called his "crown prince." Butch himself is well aware that his energetic dad will not soon release the throne. “My father is a man of insane energy, he loves to take what others consider a dangerous or unpromising affair,” says King Solomon’s heir. “No, my dad will still fight…”

Text: Alexei Leontyev | eTxt