Flight D3300 Mogadishu Iftar – Nairobi Floods: Mapping Legacy Across Skies (Chronicles of life Book 2)

This is a memoir blending lived experience, Geomapping precision, navigation and historical reconnection. Augustine, fondly remembered as Otieno ATA by his CAVS90 classmates, begins his journey (with a CAVS90 classmate, JJ Osumba) in Mogadishu during Ramadan, today ending with Iftar buffets at Jowhara International Hotel (JIH). Reunited after 36 years, they travel by taxi past Somalia’s largest mosque to Aden Adde International Airport (AAIA). The GPS record captures the unusual altitude of the waiting lounge — below sea level — before boarding Daallo Airlines Flight D3300. The ascent is meticulously logged: from 22m to 9,699m, speeds rising to 840kph. Scenic beauty unfolds — the shimmering Indian Ocean, Somali plains, and the snow-capped peak of Mt Kenya. Above the Ozone, ATA reflects on memory and eternity, while turbulence becomes a metaphor for resilience. Their conversations revive college days, weaving nostalgia into the flight. Landing in Nairobi at 2:08 pm on the Id Ul Fitr Day, they encounter heavy rains, contrasting Mogadishu’s 30-37 heat with renewal. Beyond travel, we explore heritage along new road corridors, balancing modernization with cultural preservation. It is a chronicle of faith, friendship, and legacy mapped across skies. Thirty minutes into the flight, the sky darkened. Clouds gathered like thoughts unspoken. The aircraft jolted — once, then again. Osi gripped his armrest. “Whoa!” Kamla’s voice came over the intercom. “Ladies and gents, we’re experiencing some turbulence. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.” Outside, the clouds swirled like smoke. The plane dipped slightly, then steadied. Otieno ATA looked at Joab. “Remember that time in Garissa, when our lorry hit a pothole and we flew into the roof?” Joab laughed. “This feels like that — but 10 km higher.” The turbulence passed. The sky cleared. Below, Garbaharey lay silent, 19 km beneath them. The aircraft reached its cruising altitude — 11,182 m. The highest point of the journey. ATA gazed out. “We’re flying above memory, Joab. Above places we’ve walked, sweated, mapped.” The journey begins in Mogadishu, under the relentless heat of a city where the Indian Ocean laps against sandy shores and the air carries the weight of history. Augustine had spent 14 days immersed in Ramadan fasting at JIH. Each evening, the Iftar buffets became a ritual of fellowship: steaming oat porridge, milkless but generously sugared tea, and date fruits at 6 pm for a starter; a brief wait for breather before platters of camel meat, fish, and goat stew, with rice or chapati; and the quiet solidarity of Muslim brothers who welcomed him into their tradition. For ATA, a Christian, this was more than hospitality — it was cultural immersion, humility, and solidarity across faiths. On the morning of 20th March 2026, Augustine and Joab, reunited after thirty-six years, left JIH by taxi. Their driver, Axmed Roraye, guided them through Mogadishu’s bustling streets. The GPS log captures their passage past the largest mosque in Somalia, its domes and minarets rising above the cityscape. By 11:18 am, they were at AAIA, seated in a lounge curiously recorded at -14 m below sea level. ATA chuckled, “Imagine, JJ, we’re waiting to fly thousands of meters above the earth, yet right now we’re sitting below the sea.” Joab replied, “It’s like life itself — sometimes you start below, but you rise.” Boarding Flight D3300, ATA took seat 24A by the window, Joab beside him in 24B. The engines hummed, the cabin filled with anticipation. At 12:42 pm, the plane lifted off, climbing rapidly: 710 m, 917 m, 1309 m, 1932 m, 2291 m, 3115 m, 3946 m, 4960 m, 7879 m, 9699 m. Each altitude was logged with precision, each ascent a metaphor for memory rising to meet the present. Augustine whispered, “The ocean — it’s like a mirror of time.” Joab smiled, “It’s like memory itself. Fluid, vast, and always moving.” Read more