Is everyone ready for the end of the world in a few weeks? In preparation for Armageddon I’ve decided not to pay any of my bills.  And that new toothbrush will have to wait until after 21 December, when the Mayan Long Count calendar expires.

I thought I had everything covered until reading reports from Chinese media about Lu Zhenghai from Xinjiang.  The engineer is currently finishing off his own “Noah’s Ark” with an estimated price tag of two million yuan (US$320k).

Work on the ark began in 2010 when Mr. Lu, an experienced shipbuilder, heard about the 2012 prophecy. A fan of mysticism and ancient cultures, he decided to give the theory some credit and make a boat himself.

Two years, and one million yuan (US$160k) later and the basic ship is nearly complete. The hull is 21.2m long and 15.5m wide. The entire ship stands 5.6m tall and weighs in at about 140 tons.

Mr. Lu will have to spend the next few weeks stocking and furnishing the ark. The three diesel engines that give the ship 540hp of push are already paid for.  However, the rest of the equipment is expected to set him back a further million yuan.

According to Mr. Lu, it’s a price worth paying.

“Because the homes might be consumed by flood from 2012, I spent my life savings on this ship. Using it we can all escape.”

Before everyone thinks Mr. Lu is sucker to sink all of his money on making a boat for a flood that may or may not (but probably won’t) happen, he’s got a contingency plan.

He explained that in the event of no flooding his work wouldn’t be in vain as he would have a brand new boat which could be sold off as a ferry or sightseeing boat.  He’ll probably have a trademark issue with the other Chinese Noah’s Ark though.

With only a couple weeks left, it’s a race against the clock for the finishing touches to be put on Lu Zhanghai’s Ark.  I understand his pressure. I recently bought a new jar of peanut butter and need to finish it all before the end of days.

Source: Epoch Times via My Games News Flash (Japanese)