Trying to speed it up

Well, I've managed to get a ton done in Fes so I am moving on this morning. I'm going close by, to Sefrou, and will try to meet with someone there and, if possible, get out of town the same day.
We'll see if that happens, but I am going to try. I feel so behind schedule -- not that I really had one -- but it's hard gathering all this information.

It's also discombubulating. I go from hotel to hotel daily, taking notes and then snapping photos but when I get back to wherever I am staying to sit and sort them, they kind of fog up. I mean, it's a hotel.

By and large, hotels are hotels. Pictures of hotel interiors look amazingly the same. The notes differ, in some cases -- "has hot water only in the morning," "no breakfast" -- but mostly it's just a judgment call as to where.

For example, in Fes, do you want to stay near/in the medina, or in the new center? It's just a preference. The new center is nice, but the medina is always oozing with excitement.

But I felt like I sped through things efficiently yesterday. I met with a woman who not only does tours in the nearby small town I've targeted, but also has transportation for the entire tour. That was big to be able to speak in English about that. Even if I don't go with her company, it made finding out some details a lot easier, such as am I responsible for housing the drivers? (No, that's part of the fee the driver is paid.)

So maybe my task is clearing, but I feel like I've lost time and am trying to catch up. I meet my higher-up on Nov, 5, and in between now and then I really hope to try out the camel thing so we can be done with the western part of the country and just focus on the Marrakech and Ourzasete areas, which I know little about.

But I'm not sure if that will be possible, since it's about an eight-hour trek from the camels to Kech and I am just struggling with the calendar.

Again, there are two holidays -- one consisting of multiple days -- and another holiday that's more minor during the rest of the time I'm here. That complicates travel and just makes it really tough to work things out.

But I really think I knocked out Fes. From here, we are schedule to do side trips to this really nice city, Moulay Idriss and the Roman ruins, but I have done those and don't feel the need to scout them. So I am fortunate to hopefully gain back one of those days I've felt I've lost.

It's been good to be in Fes again. I've met with two friends here and not only caught up with them but also gotten good inside information on things like places to eat, which is awesomely helpful.

Coincidentally, and I didn't know this, PC trained here again and I met some of the new volunteers. This can be really helpful since they're in cities I could work with and do community service. It's always nice to know you can help a worthwhile project, and I know the ones the PCs do have been vetted and will benefit to the communities' sustainability.