Α ΚΕΝΥΑΝ ESCAPADE

A tryst with nature and wildlife in the Kenyan city of Mombasa

- ANITHYA BALACHANDRAN

My trip to Kenya was an unexpected but much welcome one. After much hesitation and jostling with my anxious fear of contracting I the virus, I booked my tickets to Nairobi and Mombasa. This was my first international trip since the beginning of the pandemic and the journey was not an easy one. After a strenuous five hour layover in Delhi airport and another three hour wait at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International airport for my flight to Mombasa, I reached the sandy shores of Mombasa. As long as you have all your travel documents in place and a valid RT-PCR test, very little should hinder you from having a hassle-free trip. Nonetheless, flying after so long felt strange and what was even more surprising was the regular hustle and bustle at the airport. For some reason, I was expecting the departures' terminal to feel like an eerie ghost town but I was pleasantly welcomed with the commotion and excitement of fellow travellers. After being cooped up at home for several months, the joy and ecstasy of being able to travel again was palpable. Travel was always something we had known would bring us joy however, the pandemic taught us to never take the opportunity to travel for granted.