Dream it! Just don't necessarily expect much and at least you'll know you've tried. I dropped him an email about some work he was advertising and didn't hear

Dream it! Just don't necessarily expect much and at least you'll know you've tried. I dropped him an email about some work he was advertising and didn't hear back for something like six months, but he did get back. If you put together something brief, professional, and interesting, it could be worth a shot, and it'll only take an hour or so of your time. Since you're actually in-country, you also have a big advantage: He makes all sorts of appearances; if you can coordinate a trip to match something he's doing, you could always just stop in with a business card and say hi. Not to say anything would definitely come of it, of course... but it seems like a pretty good upside with a fairly minimal investment. Could be worthwhile.