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It's been an interesting and busy start to 2010. First was a return trip to St. Louis to do some additional training for an iExtensions implementation. Then I attended Lotusphere for the full week. I returned via the Challenger Winter Rendevous at the Chateau Montebello in Québec. I was home long enough to do my laundry and repack, then off to Abu Dhabi via Frankfurt.
This was another iExtensions implementation, on behalf of iEnterprises Europe. The client is one of the leading construction companies in the UAE. We did two days of meetings and planning, then it was the weekend (Friday and Saturday). The company arranged for me to have a driver, who took me to see many sights in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The architecture in both is stunning. Everything is under construction - one can't look around and not see construction cranes.
The picture above is from the roof-top bar at my hotel. This is the most inclined building in the world, moreso than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is part of the ADNEC - Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
The work itself was challenging but went well. The people are competent and pleasant. Almost everyone speaks good English, so communication wasn't an issue. The cuisine is very Western. In many ways, it's like a large North American city with more interesting architecture and much better roads.
In all, it was a fascinating 10 days. This was my first trip to the Middle East, and I would certainly do it again.
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