23 February 2026 – Arrival in Kenya, Arrival in Memory
At 2:00 am, we boarded an Indigo flight from Mumbai to Nairobi, and from Nairobi we took a short Kenya Airways connecting flight to Mombasa. By then the journey already felt surreal. For all four of us, Kenya was not just a destination but a birthplace, a homeland remembered through fragments: the smell of the soil, certain words in Swahili, old railway stations, sea air, street names, and family stories.
At Moi International Airport in Mombasa, we were met by a pre-arranged van driven by John Masai. He took us to Leopard Beach Resort on Diani Beach, about fifty minutes away, and we arrived at around 1:00 pm, just in time for lunch.
After checking in and resting for a short while, we stepped out to enjoy the resort. The beauty of the place was immediately captivating: blue waters, silver sands, sea breeze, and the relaxed rhythm of the coast. We strolled along the beach and later enjoyed afternoon tea with biscuits and snacks. In the evening we had a buffet dinner, and to our pleasant surprise there was even some spicy Indian food laid out among the dishes. The atmosphere was warm and lively, with many guests around us, and before long we also ventured into drinking Tusker, the beloved local beer of Kenya.
The trip had properly begun.
