Yesterday was epic. It was Holi, the Hindu celebration of the beginning of spring. People celebrate it by throwing powdered color on each other, dancing in the street, and just all around letting loose and having fun.

Holi isn’t as big of a holiday in Sikkim as it is in other parts of India, because it has a high population of Buddhists and the geographical location (way up near Nepal and Bhutan). Still no one, not even me, could avoid getting involved in the festivities.

 I met Kristoff, a frenchman who had been traveling for two and a half years, who was planning on leaving today and then decided to stay just one more day. Talk about strange coincidences. It was one of those insta-connections where we met, immediately enjoyed each others’ company and spent the afternoon roaming around the small capital. Here’s what Gangtok looks like.

As we walked around the hilly streets, I shared about how I was struggling with what to do in Sikkim, where to go, missing home, missing my boyfriend, just the whole basic feeling of ‘what the heck am I doing here?’ feeling.

Kristoff, who after traveling for so long, blew my mind with what he said in response. It was one of those moments when something you think you ‘know’ takes on a greater meaning and becomes something which you truly believe.

He said it’s not about where you go or what you do when traveling. It’s about how present you are in what you are doing, whatever or wherever it is, not thinking you are ‘missing out’ on something or somewhere else. I already knew this, heck that idea is what I based this website on! But I needed Kristoff to say it and make it real.

I felt like saying, “Ahh yes.. I see Nobu san..”

Just then we both heard loud chanting and drumming coming from a house nearby. We were waved to come in from a man on the roof. We thought it might be a celebration for Holi, but soon we realized this was a completely different event.  About ten to fifteen women and men were seated in a large room, with a table of lit candles in the corner. Lamas were taking a break from chanting in the other room.

We had crashed a buddhist bereavement procession.

It was so fitting, considering we had just been talking about being present, living in the moment. You can’t plan something like this. We tried to understand more about the ceremony but the old language barrier kept communication to simple sentences. So we drank cola and ate chundis, fried tibetan sweet bread, said we were sorry for their loss, and left after about forty five minutes.

As I lay in my dorm bed that night, the events of the day were spinning in my head-the Holi celebration, the Buddhist funeral, watching everyday life in Gangtok-it all came back to my talk with Kristoff.

Travel isn’t about ’seeing the sights’, or making sure to check off all the ‘must sees’ according to what the Lonely Planet says. Put the book down people! Put it away! Open your eyes and just be present to what is going on around you!

For me and Kristoff, travel is about the little things- playing chungee (hackeysack) with a group of teenagers, having tea with the locals on the street corner, being absolutely jam-packed into the back of a jeep with 12 other people, laughing about how uncomfortable everybody is. It’s these instances when you realize that we all are pretty much the same-we all cry, laugh, eat, worry and die-geography and culture only change things slightly. We all have more in common than we think. This continual realization is one of the reasons both Kristoff and I love traveling so much.

And what a better way to get across my point than to end this post, with Stevie Wonder singing on the stereo, and everyone in the room, (I kid you not!) Indian and foreigner alike, singing along together… “I just called to say, I love you…”

I’m staying in Gangtok for now waiting to find a cheaper trek, I’ll let you know what the choices are soon.