Day 1 ADIPEC 2008

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This picture was taken the first morning of the ADIPEC 2008 conference. This is the largest oil and gas conference in the Middle East. With 30,000 people attending it's probably the largest in the world. I didn't get into Abu Dhabi this morning until 3:00 am so understandably I didn't have the wherewithal to take any pictures on my arrival to the hotel. My flight into London was late which meant I had to miss my flight into Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, I had to fly into Dubai. I had no idea how I was going to get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai. At different points along the way out of the airport there would be groups of drivers holding up signs for their passengers to be. None of them had my name on them. Just about the time my lower lip started to quiver I decided to wander outside. I looked again for my name and sure enough there it was!! I'd never been more relieved. Thankfully my colleage had arranged for a "limo" to be waiting for me. The limo was a very comfortable BMW (didn't catch the series number) and my driver was very talkative. One thing he was quick to point out (frequently) was how much better Dubai is than Abu Dhabi. I was surprised to learn that Dubai is mostly a business sector and that most (if not all) of the oil and gas business in the UAE is centered around Abu Dhabi. A little more information about the picture: I had noticed a swarm of paparazzi taking pictures of a group of men so I figured I should take a picture too. I learned later that they were the emirs of the emirates. This conference was a huge deal for the UAE and even the British prime minister had paid a visit to one of the main panel sessions. Throughout the exhibits you could tell the emirs were coming around from the paparazzi noise.

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