Shyam and Anya are an Indo-Ukrainian couple, and up till recently, they lived regular lives like you and me. They worked during the week, did their chores during the weekend and repeated the whole thing all over again in an almost-unbreakable cycle of monotony.
Finally however, they mustered up the moxie to break the chains, so to speak.
“100 days ago, we were doing regular stuff in our lives – working 9-5, sleeping early on Sundays, doing groceries on weekends, ordering stuff on sale, getting salary credit, paying rent, then working 9- 5 again. But fun was missing in our everyday life and that’s when we said: this is it.”
Shyam and Anya ditched their jobs (at least temporarily), and decided to travel anywhere and everywhere, soaking in as much of the wonderful, bizarre and beautiful as the world had to offer, with one lovely constant – a kiss.
Because love conquers all. Hell, it even conquers the Great Wall!
On their journeys, they’ve experienced the kinds of wonders you only see on the telly.
“Traveling for the last 100 days, in 6 countries, we have lived in Gobi, the coldest desert in the world. Checked in at Shaolin, the mecca of martial arts. Received a cuteness overdose from pandas. Sneaked inside the second tallest building in Shanghai. Said hello to the most faithful dog in the world. Witnessed Shibuya Crossing, the busiest road crossing in the world. Got tattooed from the oldest tattoo maker in the Philippines. Swam with the whale-sharks. Tried balut, boiled eggs with 21 days old embryo inside. Hiked up to the ‘now abandoned’ last village near Mt. Agung, the erupting volcano inBali. Dipped hands in the world’s highest acidic lake. Clicked a selfie at Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.”
“And everywhere we went, everything we did, we kissed.”
Thus, #KissIsIt was born – A campaign founded on the twin pillars of love and travel. This is what the couple had to say about it –
“#kissisit is not a rebellious, dare the world, break all rules, be bold, stand for something move. It’s just collecting experiences from our travel while making it more creative and fun, our own way.”
They encountered the confluence of the old and the new in perfect harmony.
At the moment, they’ve been to Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.
And each place has taught them something new.
Despite the obvious hardships of a life spent constantly on the road, Shyam and Anya are as determined as ever to continue their journey.
“The excitement of getting to a new spot, holding something local and clicking a picture that will one day become part of our travel memories, makes waking up every morning worthwhile. This life is way more rewarding than the life we lived back home. So what, if we have to take 18 hours long bus rides and eat food that we are not used to and sleep on not so comfy beds?”
Here’s a little compilation video of all the beds they’ve crashed on so far.
Travelling the world, getting your hands dirty and spreading the love while you do it, that’s what experiencing life is truly about. You can follow Shyam and Anya’s ongoing journey here, here and here.