境界をこえるという概念が好きです。それが内的であれ外的であれ、何かを越える・超えることは、内なる情熱をかきたて、我が人生の目標となります。好きが高じて最近は少しずつ肥えてきましたが、それもご愛嬌です。境界の端的な例は国境です。地理的な連続性にも関わらず、言葉が変わり、文字が変わり、通貨が変わり、人が変わる、人為的な境界の場合もあれば、海を通らなければ越えられない自然の国境もあります。
２次元空間に写った世界地図では、２つの国からなる２つの空間は線で接さなければならず、それを人は国境（国境線）と呼びます。３つ以上の国が同じ国境線を共有することは２次元では不可能ですが、同じ国境点を共有することは可能です。現在の世界ではアフリカ南部のザンビア・ボツワナ・ジンバブエ・ナミビアの４カ国が共有している点が最大国数による国境点のようです（http://g.co/maps/w4y4w）。アメリカ国内でも、コロラド・ユタ・ニューメキシコ・アリゾナの４州が１つの州境点を共有しています（http://g.co/maps/nfns5）。これらはいつか行ってみたい場所です。
今回はそんなマニアックな国境点ではなく、国境線の話です。わくわくする、何かが起こりそうな国境越え、これまでの人生ベスト５をまとめてみました。みなさんの国境体験もぜひ教えてください！
Google Mapは実際の経路ではなく、出発地点と到着地点のみを示しています。
第５位 Gibraltar （モロッコ→スペイン）
アフリカからヨーロッパにジブラルタル海峡を越えて渡るには、モロッコのタンジェから高速フェリーに乗って、スペインのタリファと言う街に行くのが１つの方法でした。フェリーはものの４５分くらいで到着するのですが、アフリカ大陸が高速で小さくなっていく様は、ありがちな表現ですが未だに目に焼きついています。
スペインに着くと入国管理所があり、休暇を終えたスペイン人が戻ってきているようでした。建物の入口には階段があり、列のすぐ前に大きい荷物を持っていた女性がいたので「手伝いましょうか？」と尋ねてみました。すると特に僕の助けは要らなかったようで、「彼女を助けたらいいんじゃない？」と列の後ろの方にいる大柄のおばちゃんを指さされました。特に下心があったわけでもないのですが、振り返った前列の女性はきれいな人で、美人を助けようとして気付けば年配のおばちゃんを助ける羽目になるという喜劇的な展開に自分らしさを感じて、列を離れておばちゃんの荷物運びを手伝うことにしました。
おばちゃんは洋の東西を問わず図々しいものです。階段の上までスーツケースを持ち上げるのを手伝ったら、そのままもう少し手伝ってくれと言われ、スーツケースを最後まで運ぶことになりました。途中、列はEUパスポートとそれ以外で分かれたため、別れて外国人用の列に並ぼうとしたら、「You can become my husband」と荷物を持たされ一緒にEUの列に並び、入国管理官に苦笑いされながら、そのままスペインに入国できたのは懐かしい思い出です。EUの入国スタンプには、入国の方法（船・飛行機・電車・車）の絵が描かれていますが、自分の経路の場合はここで船のスタンプが手に入ったのが少しばかりの記念です。
結局そのおばちゃんとは入国後のシャトルバス内でも隣に座り、お互いにつたないスペイン語と英語を混ぜながら、単純だけど平和な会話をしていたのですが、そんな滑稽な一幕を見ていた若いスペイン人の兄ちゃんが、流暢な英語で目的地であるSevillaまでの移動方法を教えてくれました。人への親切が回りまわって戻ってくる気持ちの良い国境越えとなりました。彼の言っていた「ここはもうモロッコじゃないから、人に道を聞いてもお金はかからないよ（笑）」というのが、いかにも国境らしいなあと思い出されます。
第４位 Dhaka （ドバイ→バングラデシュ）
バングラデシュの首都のダッカには空路で入国しました。ドバイのダッカ行き飛行機の待合室で飛行機を待っていると、乗客のほとんどはバングラデシュ人で、客室乗務員にも本当にダッカに行くのか、と尋ねられました。近年社会起業家として日本人が渡航している話は耳にしますが、それでもやはり旅行先としてはメジャーではないようです。
ダッカの空港では、ちょうど複数の飛行機がほぼ同時に到着したということで、文字通りカオスのような状態になっていました。大きな荷物を複数抱える途上国らしい帰国者が壁を作り、頻繁に停電する空港内では何度も灯りが落ち、乗客の預け荷物を動かすベルトコンベアーは止まっていました。こんな状態なら簡単に入管をすり抜けて中に簡単に入れるんじゃないかというのが率直な感想でした。荷物も見つからない、全く前に進まない列は３時間待ちならマシなくらいでしょうか、国の入り口としてはお世辞にも好印象とは言えませんでした。
そうは言っても空港内ということで安全に守られた感はあるので、この手の非日常体験を楽しもうと思いました。急いでもしょうがないので、まずは動かないベルトコンベアーの横に腰をおろして、周りを眺めていました。バングラデシュ人も暇を持て余しており、変わった身なりの外国人の顔を覗き込んできます。自分はアメリカに住んでいるうちに、目が合ったら微笑み返すアジア人らしくないクセを見につけたようです。興味本位で顔を見てくる人に微笑み返すと、言葉の通じない東アジア人も感情を持った人間であることが伝わるようで、微笑み返されたり、目をそらされたりと、様々な反応を見せてくれました。
そうこうしていると知らないバングラデシュ人が近づいてきて、自分の名前を呼ばれました。自分の訪問先の大学関係者のようです。その人のお付きの人が僕の荷物を探してきてくれ、そのまま長い長い列の先頭に連れて行ってもらい、ゲートの机の裏側、係員のコンピューターのモニターが見える位置で入国審査を受けて、そのままあっさり入国することになりました。聞けば彼は政府・軍関係者でもあるらしく、自由にゲートを出入りすることができるそうです。人生でVIP扱いをされるのは、過去にも未来にもこの時だけかもしれません。国境というものが非常に人為的な概念で、立場によって意味するものが全く違うことを体感した、珍しい国境体験でした。
（そのうち続く）
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