Amidst all the hiatus of Russian airliners blowing up (or not) there has been a speck of good news for the Egyptian tourist industry – the Egyptian Sahara, heretofore off-limits thanks to insurgency and the military’s reaction to it, *may* be slowly re-opening. A friend went out with a group of locals recently into the Gebel Qatrani / Wadi Raian region, without guides or permits. Apart from more armed guards than usual in the Wadi Raian protected area, he reported no signs of any unusual activity. This has to be good news…. so I’m fitting a new lift pump and separator to the car this weekend (old one destroyed by inept local mechanic) and hoping to get out there ASAP… watch this space