Solo trip to Jibhi, Himachal Pradesh #TravelGoal

Prologue:

November 12,2019 (Gurunanak ji Jayanti) was a Tuesday.

So, if we could take a Monday off we would have four holidays in total and we could plan something big for adventure, said on of my friend. Like the other corporate guys (Monday to Friday working people), we also planned to make it happen. But you all know how the so called corporate rules are. We can’t give off to so many people at one go, you have to take one by one..etc..etc.

So, by Friday evening i.e 8th of Nov’19 I was the one who had a Monday off and rest of my riding buddies were looking at my face with sorrow and anger while having a chilled bottle of beer. I could have planned for an weekend ride so that we all could go, but I didn’t want to waste my extra two days by staying in room and playing PS4. So, after 3-4 hrs of conversations and research, I decided to go on a solo ride to Jibhi. The next one hour I spent on my itinerary before going to bed.

Below is the route map:

Day 1(Saturday): The Beginning

I started around 5:30 am as I wanted to avoid all the outgoing traffic from Delhi and Haryana. Jibhi is approx. 550 KM from New Delhi, so I planned that I would cover it in two days by taking a halt in between. I was so excited and charged that I couldn’t notice when I crossed the heavy traffic jam at Murthal and reached Ambala.

I took my first stop near Kurali around 10 am. By noon I was in Himachal Pradesh territory witnessing the majestic mountains and lush greenery. It was pleasant to the mind, body and soul because what I left behind was a treacherous traffic and pollution.

While leaning on the curves of Swaraghat,I realized that I have crossed 350 KMs. I thought I should end day 1 here and rest properly because the Friday night was not so restful as it should be before a journey. I checked in to a nearby hotel in Jangal Fatehpur which cost me 700/- INR per night (lodging only). Rooms were not so good but the view from the room was superb. Anybody who wants to take halt near this place while travelling, I would suggest to take an OYO because it will cost you almost same with greater amenities.

Temperature started dropping as evening approached, by night I had three cups of tea and two plates of maggi. I went to sleep immediately after dinner, thinking 200 Kms left and I would do it in 4 Hrs, thus would enjoy my next day stay at “Not on map: A Lost Escape” in Jibhi.

But, I was wrong…..!!!

Day 2 (Sunday):Pursuit of Dreams

Next morning, I woke up to this.

I was unaware of what lies ahead for me. I checked out from the hotel around 7:30 am after having breakfast. Few kilometres in the mountain, it started drizzling and fogs took over the roads. I had to ride the motorcycle with a mere speed of 20-30 kmph for the next half an hour.

In the next few minutes I understood that the 200 KM journey won’t be that easy. Under construction roads, filled with pot holes and twists made the ride bumpier and slower. The worst I faced was 5 Km before the “Aut Tunnel” which is famous as the "Kullu Tunnel". The roads were full of mud, sludge, pot holes, and gravels. My lower half of the bike and legs were turned brown and then to white in color due to the continuous mud splash.

But the moment I crossed that place, I entered into heaven. I entered the Tirthan valley region. The Tirthan river alongside the road was picturesque. The mighty hills and the valley was forcing me to stop after every mile to enjoy the nature at its best.

I knew it will be late but I started enjoying the journey more. It was Sunday, so the markets were closed in the villages like Tari,Banjar, Shoja, etc. My stay was few kilometres before Shoja i.e. at Jibhi. There are lots of home stays, lodges, hotels you can check in at Jibhi and Tirthan valley with prices ranging from 1000 – 10,000 INR onwards per room depending upon location and facility. There are number of resorts across the Tirthan river with valley view and river view options with bon fire, trekking and many more amusement categories.

Finally, I reached at my stay that is “NOT ON MAP: A LOST ESCAPE”. This property was under renovation and expansion process and I was their only guest for the night. I had to go downhill for 1 KM to reach at the stay. I parked my bike just beside the main road as few other vehicles were also parked over there(from other hotels). Anyways, there are very rare cases of theft or criminal activities in hill station areas as far as my experience is concerned.

It took almost 2 hours for me to get adjusted to the quiet place and loneliness over there. I slept for an hour to get accustomed to the environment. It was super cold at night and I had to cover myself with 3 layers of clothes to feel normal but still I was shivering from time to time. At night few more riders from Delhi arrived at that place. We had a lovely time having dinner, group talks about riding and different places and experiences. They continued the party while I went to bed around 11:00 PM. It was a half wooden-half concrete interior designed house. I could smell the wood in that chilling winter. The dead silence forced me to sleep. I had still one more day left over there.

Day 3(Monday): The Awakening

A cold breeze through the window woke me up. It was 6:30 am and the temperature was 1 degree Celsius. I came out immediately to see if we had snowfall in the night, but it didn’t.

The entire day was cloudy and cold. I spent most of the time having coffee, parantha and maggi. The other riders group left around 9 am and I was again the lone guest in that property. I spent few hours talking with the locals and the people working over there as chefs and caretakers. The untold stories of the mountains, the haunted ones, the funny ones, the worse tourists, the best tourists, etc. I was a silent listener to them.

In the evening I went up the hill to see some more majestic view of the valley.

The temperature prediction for the night was -2 degree Celsius. I was super happy that I might see a snow fall live.

Around 7:30 PM, I joined the locals with the caretaker for a bonfire and we had few more stories about mountains. The hot cup of coffee in the chilling winter was acting as nectar to the soul. I had few more hours in that place and tomorrow I had to return to the daily life, these thoughts started prevailing over my mind as the cloud prevailed over the moon in sky.

After dinner, I spent few more time sitting alone and gazing the stars.

Day 4 (Tuesday): The Return

“This day won’t be merciful on me”. I realized it as soon as I woke up from bed with a stomach ache. It was 6:30 in the morning and I rushed to finish my breakfast. Despite the temperature went to -2 degree Celsius at night, the snow fall did not happen at that place.

I paid my bills (around 2300/-INR for 2 days of stay and food) and packed my bags. I climbed up the hilly areas to the main road where I parked my bike on Sunday. My legs were shaking due to the 1 km climb with the luggage and my stomach ache was intensified. I had to cover 550 KM on a single day that to it was already 8 AM. So without further delay I mounted the saddle bags, tightened my riding gears and with painful legs and an upset stomach I hit the road.

After few minutes, I got a call from an old friend saying they were also on the same route to Ludhiana and they had seen my bike parked on the roadside an hour ago. They were waiting ahead for me to join. So I was happy that I would have companions for the return journey.

I started increasing the speed.But, Mother Nature had different plans. The snow fall which I was expecting from two days finally appeared on the roads after a few turns. It was not a live snow fall though. It was a scene of few hours after a snowfall. Roads were so filled with the ice slush and snows that I could not stop for a long time to get some clicks. If I would take a stop, it would start blocking one way traffic on that narrow road. So I clicked a few and started riding.

I reached Jalori Pass, which showed me one of my best view of the snow capped mountains. I met my friends too. We had few chit chats and we embarked on our journey again.

I had to rush a bit as I had to reach Delhi in time so that I can rest for a sufficient amount of time. So, I was staying ahead of them for most of the time. At a fuel station near Narkand, I refueled the bike and flushed some from my body which made my stomach better.

We spent a very less amount of time on lunch and breaks and continued the journey. By the time we reached Parwanoo via Solan,it was Sunset. It took almost 9 hours to cover 250 Kms in those mountains. I knew I was slow and I had to cover 270 Kms more to reach Delhi.

After separating from my friends at Chandigarh, I had a marathon ride back to Delhi. I took only two breaks in those 250 Kms one for the dinner and one for a pee break.

By 11 o'clock in the night, I was resting on my bed thinking about the past three days of peaceful scenery and dead silent nights.

Epilogue:

It was my first ever solo trip that to such a long distance. This trip taught me so many things. Like the Do's and Don'ts while travelling alone, you can actually enjoy a solo trip and believe me it is addictive.

Nature has so many things to offer if you are ready to accept. Your own country has so many places to know and explore. So before taking a trip to the Alps in Switzerland or Prague, or the Eiffel tower or the Buckingham palace, visit your own country to every corner. It won't disappoint you.

My friends were both happy and sad. Happy cause I did it and sad because I did it without them. Few of my friends passed comments on me for being such a fool to go on a solo ride like this and that to for so long, on a two wheeler, blah..... blah.

But this solo trip was mandatory for me.

Why ?

Not because I badly needed a break from the work.

It was because I was planning something big....

Something big for the coming days.....!!!