Julie

There is nothing like the feeling of a new adventure, especially when that adventure takes you to a country just around the corner, yet feels so different. This is how our journey began, crossing the border on foot from Melilla to Morocco. The transition went surprisingly smoothly. No long waits or complicated procedures; suddenly, we found ourselves on the other side, in a completely different country. The contrast was immediately noticeable and palpable. While we crossed the border with little difficulty, we saw on the other side a long line of people trying to reach Spain. The queue of cars seemed endless, and patience was clearly a requirement. Dozens of Moroccan flags fluttered in the wind, as if welcoming us. Next to us, men were sitting on terraces, enjoying their mint tea, watching the spectacle at the border with a mix of curiosity and everyday routine. And there we were, in Morocco, with a sense of excitement and a touch of wonder. We were warmly greeted. Not just by the border officer who stamped our passports, but also by the people we encountered. "Bienvenue au Maroc!" was said to us several times. I think we were quite a noticeable trio, as a Swede and two Belgians. But the warmth with which we were received immediately made us feel at ease. After a brief exploration in Beni Ansar, we decided to take a taxi to the larger city of Nador. Finding a taxi was no problem; they are plentiful, and luckily most Moroccans speak French, which made communication very easy. For just six euros, we got a one-way trip to Nador. In Nador, we were dropped off by our taxi driver and realized that we actually hadn’t planned anything for our visit. But that didn’t matter. We let ourselves be guided by the moment, wandered around, and quickly found a cozy spot to have breakfast. It was a typical Moroccan breakfast: Harcha, a crumbly bread made from semolina, msemmen, which resembles very thin pancakes, yogurt, orange juice, and of course, mint tea. The perfect start to our Moroccan adventure. By the way, we also gained an hour since we were in a different time zone. After breakfast, we continued our exploration. Nador is a city full of life, where street vendors offer their goods and the streets are filled with a lively chaos. It was busy, but that hustle and bustle had its charm. We fully enjoyed the atmosphere, exchanged our euros for dirhams, and let ourselves be carried away by the liveliness of the city. At one point, we hailed another taxi, this time with a vaguer plan: we wanted to go to a mountain where there were supposed to be monkeys. We asked the driver to take us to Gourgou, not being 100% sure if it was the right mountain. For ten euros, he was willing to take us, although he found the destination vague. It soon became clear that the distance was greater than expected, and he had a lot of phone calls with his boss. In the end, we agreed on thirty euros, for which the driver would take us further up the mountain and stay with us while we went for a walk. On the mountain, we passed a checkpoint where we asked some soldiers if there were any monkeys around. And yes, we were on the right mountain! They pointed us in the right direction and asked in amazement if we had come on foot. We let them know we had come by taxi. We walked back to our driver and got into his car. Finally, after some detours, we encountered the monkeys. A stall was selling peanuts, but the monkeys seemed more interested in the cake that others were giving them. We stayed for a while, enjoyed the moment, and then asked our driver if he could take us back to Beni Ansar. The drive back was breathtaking. Mist crept over the winding mountain roads, giving the landscape a mysterious atmosphere. When we arrived at the border, we decided to enjoy one more mint tea on a terrace, like the locals do, while observing the spectacle of the border crossing. But soon we noticed that the line at the border was getting longer. Time to join the queue. What followed was a four-hour wait in the hot sun, with no access to a toilet. The mood among the waiters grew increasingly grim, and the heat didn’t help. Yet conversations arose, and we saw people taking care of each other despite the discomforts. Eventually, we passed through border control and suddenly found ourselves back in Spain, as if our adventure in Morocco had been just a dream. But what a dream: a day full of twists and turns, something we won’t soon forget. It was my third time visiting Morocco. It continues to enchant me, every time again.