Into the Jibhiness #bestof2018

It was a month since my last trip and my soul was already craving for the next adventure. So I checked my calendar and found a suitable long weekend ahead. The date was 21(eid)+1CL+23(Guru Nanak Jayanti)+ weekend. I asked few of my friends and one person agreed to come along. It was Mohit, not only my college junior but also a very good friend. Then began the search for the destination, and comes the word Jibhi while searching on google and tripoto. I've listened so much about this place recently and have already checked the itinerary and places to do in Jibhi and around. So I lock this place. We booked our 8 pm HRTC Volvo bus from redbus for 21 Nov 18. There is no direct bus to Jibhi, one needs to leave the bus just before the Aut tunner after Mandi and then hire a cab to jibhi. With Thumbs up and Lays, we boarded the bus and the trip started.

(22 Nov 18) We reached Mandi at 5 am around and the bus stopped for no good reason. After waiting in Bus for few minutes, I descend down the bus and saw a long queue of vehicles and then only i realized something bad had happened. I asked the driver what happened and he told me that there is some landslide happened last evening before few km of Kullu and Bus will not move from Mandi until the road clears. It was bad for people going to Kullu but it was not for us, because road to Aut was still open, but the bus wouldn't move so we left the bus there and asked the cab drivers for jibhi. In these tough situations, surging was obvious, they were asking 4000 Rs to drop us Jibhi. With only two people, it was a little costly so I told one driver that if he finds any other people going to the same place, contact me. In these situations one should do the same, share the cab with strangers, it saves half of your expenses, something I learned on my solo trip to Mahabaleshwar.  Luckily after an hour, driver called and told us that there is a couple going to the same place and are ready to share the cab. We greeted the couple and the journey started. The road to Jibhi after the Aut tunnel was not so good, but the view was great. After a bumpy ride of 2 hours, we reached Jibhi and checked into the hotel,Rocktop Inn. I booked this hotel for 2 days at only 1200 bucks on MMT, although it was 100 bucks cheaper on Goibobo, but it was still a great deal. The room was small, with a double bed and a small table inside only, but it was beautiful, a wooden hut I've never been into. We unpacked our bags, took bath and after eating the delicious non veg lunch made by the wife of the owner, We left the hotel to explore the village. We went to the river that was flowing in the backyard of our hotel, spent some time there clicking photos then we left for the Waterfall. Walking about a km, we reached to the waterfall. No need to say that the water was too cold, impossible to get inside the pool under the waterfall. The last 100 metres towards the fall was beautiful, with small bridges( you can see in the pictures below) over small waterfalls, it was like a scenery. We spent couple of hours there, playing with water and clicking pictures of the bridge and the trees and the waterfalls. I got surprised to see that we two were the only people at the waterfall. For some time we thought we came to the wrong place. Spending nearly two hours there, we decided to head to the hotel because the sun was about to set and the temperature was already getting down. We went to the hotel and jump into the blanket. The first day was great, but it's not over yet, the night has yet to come. After relaxing for an hour, we came outside for dinner and after dinner, we took our camera and went in the garden in front of the hotel, set our camera onto a table with the help of some rocks because the tripod was broken. Then began the long trail of night photography. After snapping enough of the moon and the stars, I sat down there and watched the beautiful sky, in silence, all by myself. The best part of any journey is the night sky. You get to see stars, something we don't see in cities. I never miss the stargazing. It gives me the feeling that we're so infinitely small in this universe and our problems are even smaller. It helps me to reinforce myself for the life ahead. Nights are the reason I travel, days are just fine, all those mountain views,forts,snow,treks have no comparison to the feeling and experience of night in such places. At about midnight, I went to sleep because the next day will require a proper sleep today. Day 1 was soothing, with the beautiful stars in the sky.

(23 Nov 18) Next day the journey for Jalori pass and Serolsar lake began. We hire a cab in 1800 bucks sharing with the same couple from yesterday. I had exchanged contact no with them the previous day keeping in mind that we can share cab further. Smart, isn't? It was already 11:00 am when we left the village for jalori pass. In about 30-40 minutes, we reached Jalori Pass, get out of the cab, and started the trekking for Serolsar lake. The view from Jalori pass was breathtaking and I wanted to sit back there and enjoy but we were already late and we had to be back before sunset, so we left for trekking after spending nearly 10-15 minutes and clicking few pictures. It was a 3-4 hours trek, easy but full of beautiful views of the himalayan ranges. The trek was half way easy but the other half was difficult due to the steep climbing.  We reached to the Serolsar lake, ate Maggi there, sat there and enjoyed the view and head back. It took us nearly 2:30hrs to reach the lake. We spend sometime there, circled around the lake, played in the snow and offered prayers in the temple at lake. After spending half an hour there, we started our trek back. It was again , half easy and half difficult,but most of the part were difficult. It's kind of a trek which takes more time in return than to onward journey. At about 5 pm we reached back to Jalori pass. We came from a more than 10km trek, all tired, hungry, thirsty, almost dead, all we wanted to go to the bed and sleep but then sunset happens, and everything stopped. All of a sudden I forgot about everything, the hunger, the thirst, the pain in my legs,the driver outside waiting for us in the car, the regret about not keeping one extra jacket for the cold evening, the worries of my life, every little big things, everything. I just sat there and enjoyed it, till that last orange strip disappeared into the black infinity. That is the effect of a beautiful sunset at a beautiful place. You feel only yourself, forgetting the past or future, just the present, every moment of it. Temperature dropeed instantly after the sunset and the cold wind started to blow. We got inside the car and head back for the jibhi village. We reached the hotel, took some rest. After having dinner,  I spent sometime again stargazing. Day 2 was adventurous, full of sweat and pain and fatigue, but it ended with a beautiful sunset and even more beautiful night. I went to sleep after few minutes.

(24 Nov 18) This was our last day and we had our bus booked at 8pm from Aut. I came across Chehni kothi last night while searching for nearby places to Jibhi. We checked out the hotel next morning and said our goodbyes to the two most beautiful persons of the village, the owners of Rocktop inn. I've been to more than dozen places but never been hosted by this much warmth and love. It actually was a homestay experience in a hotel booking. From sharing their toothpaste and slippers ( yes, i always forget these things) to providing us hot drinking water at 11 pm, they were always there for us, like a parent. If you're going to jibhi and looking for a homestay experience in a great room at a decent price, go to their place. Oh, and the food is something you don't want to miss, specially the chicken served with roti made by aunty.
We hired a cab in 2000 Ra for a whole day, sharing with the same couple. We left jibhi at about 12 pm and reached the temple of Shringi Rishi, the point from where trek to Chehni Kothi starts. It was a steep climb of 2 km and took us about an hour and half to reach the tower temples of Chehni. The tower temples were not just a place of religious gathering but also served as a defensive structure and storage. The tower temples are the tallest standing structure of its kind in the entire Western Himalayas. The tower is 45 metres (approx) tall. It was built around 17th century by King Dhadhu. Near to the Tower Temple, there was a small cafe where we relaxed a bit, enjoyed tea and hot maggi. A visit to mountain is incomplete without Maggi. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful and warm day. We photographed the tower temples and the village. After few good shots we decided to leave. The return journey was very easy and took us only half an hour to complete. It was the time of sunset and I stopped to enjoy the orange sky one last time. The upper parts of the distant mountains were glowing like they're made up of gold. Few minutes later, we started the journey back to Aut market from where we'll have to board the bus. We reached Aut at about 6 pm and had dinner on a roadside dhaba. The bus originates from Kullu so I talked to the driver on the number given by HRTC customer desk and informed him that we'll board the bus from Aut. Driver told me that the bus will reach Aut around 8:45 pm.
At 8:55 around, the bus came and we boarded it. The trip has ended with a lot of beautiful memories. The night outside was gorgeous, the mountains and river flowing by were all visible in the moonlight. I took the window seat so that I can see outside. After a couple hours, the bus stopped at a Diner. It was around 11 pm, someplace after Mandi city. I enjoyed a cup of tea and was shivering from the cold outside. I sat on a chair and looked at the sky. I took a deep breath and said by good-byes to the mountains until next time. The bus started and I slept watching the stars and mountains and the river outside the window. Next stop was Delhi and the trip has ended.
So this was my trip. Following are the cost details(per person):
Bus (volvo) - 1500+1500
Cab - 1000 (mandi to jibhi)
           450 (jibhi to jalori pass and back)
           500 (jibhi to chehni kothi trek and then to Aut)
Stay - 600/day (Hotel Rocktop Inn)
Food- 300/day

Hope you'll find my story good. This is my first write up so feedbacks are welcome.
Happy Travelling.