I tried calling Emirates Palace to get on the guest list but was told that it is a private party hosted by Virgin Galactic and Brawn. Only celebrities, officials and close friends were invited. Then it occurred to me, why not use a trick which I had learned from the man himself (Sir Branson), after reading his book. I called the club and pretended to be a very close friend of the owner. When the manger received my call, I mentioned that I had been invited through Facebook and that if I’m not put on the guest list, I will call the owner and tell him about this mess. Next thing you know, I got in!
When I arrived at the club, I somehow managed to get Sir Richard’s attention and unbelievably Sir Branson walked up to me and shook my hand with his left (his right arm was strapped up in a sling). After a brief intro (this mostly consisted of me telling him that he is my idol), he posed for a picture with me and also invited me to his table.
I couldn’t believe I was chilling with Sir Richard himself. When I inquired about his arm he mentioned his quad biking accident in the Pyrenees. I remember he joked about it and told me that fortunately the quad bike didn’t come down on top of him. What a sense of adventure he has!
He had told me earlier in the evening that his son, Sam was producing a film in the Arctic. When I asked him about the film, he explained to me that Arctic and Antarctic explorer and environmental campaigner, Will Steger is producing the documentary Baffin Island Expedition ’07: The Explorers, featuring famed Mount Everest mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, Sam and him. He said that he learned a lot while having a fantastic adventure tracking weather patterns and filming the profound changes created by global warming. These days he spends most of his time trying to find ideas how to reduce global warming. He even had a meeting about the idea of creating a ‘carbon war room’. I remember his passionate words,
“Rather than saying you can’t do this and you can’t do that, we are looking for solutions. I’m particularly conscious of it because of the airline. That’s one of the reasons I’m doing it. I have to balance my books.”
I congratulated Sir Richard on setting up his space venture in Abu Dhabi and he elaborated on his plans that sometime in the next three or four months, he’ll be back in Abu Dhabi for the first step in the creation of his grandest plan yet: The first Virgin Galactic space port, where travellers will embark on their journey into space.
Then he added,
“We’re thrilled to be doing this here. Abu Dhabi is spectacular.”
As I thanked him for inviting me over to hang-out with him he told me, “You are welcome, and remember with great determination and hard work you will one day reach where I am!”
Then he gave me a high five before I left his table.
– Omar Al Raisi
If you have had a once in a lifetime experience in Abu Dhabi, send us a page from your diary and share your experience with everyone. Tell us your thrilling tale, email: editorial@abudhabitempo.com, with ‘Abu Dhabi Diaries’ in the subject line.
