He booked the flight of a lifetime.
First time abroad. Two weeks off. A childhood friend waiting in Africa.
What could go wrong?
Everything.
Meet Amin Sama, 36, an English literature professor from Bhuj's Ramji Ravji Lalan College.
He boarded a flight to Rwanda on May 15. Bags packed for Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, and a Maasai Mara safari.
He got exactly one day of sightseeing.
On May 16, authorities confirmed an Ebola case in Goma — the eastern DR Congo city where his friend lived.
By May 17, the borders slammed shut.
The WHO later declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, with 8 confirmed cases, 246 suspected, and 80 suspected deaths across Ituri Province.
Amin thought it'd blow over in a week.
It didn't.
Goma wasn't just fighting a virus.
It was already living under the M23 rebel group — a Rwandan-backed militia that took the city in early 2025. The US had slapped sanctions on them.
What Amin saw on the streets:
Goma and Rwanda's Gisenyi are twin cities. Thousands cross daily for work.
Now? Nothing moved.
Amin had packed a book: 'With Cyclists Around the World.'
He barely got through a few pages.
College had reopened back in Bhuj. His wife, two kids, and parents were waiting.
He cancelled his May 31 return ticket.
He called the Indian High Commission in Kigali. Then the Embassy in Kinshasa.
Nothing.
Here's the twist.
An uncle who works as a translator in the Gujarat assembly walked straight to Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi.
Sanghavi looped in the Non-Resident Gujarati Foundation.
Calls flew. Cables moved. Doors opened.
On June 17, Amin was among a handful of foreign nationals cleared to cross the sealed Goma–Gisenyi border under special circumstances.
Government vehicles drove them 154 km straight to Kigali airport.
That night: Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa.
Next morning, June 18: wheels down in Mumbai.
Then home to Kutch — where his family had been waiting for a whole month.
Back home, Amin did one thing first.
He slept. For hours.
The man who once biked to Ladakh for fun now checks his phone quietly — following news from the country that turned his dream vacation into a month-long standstill.
Sometimes the wildest adventure isn't the one you plan.
It's the one you barely escape.
That's all for now!
