Malvika's Ramblings

New spot found over growling weekend

600 km from Delhi.

Jibhi.

Don’t enter a village, not a town. No maal road on the Himalayas. Just take an unassuming turn from a gravely, slim mountain road and there you are. Just above the river. And below an invisible but not quiet waterfall. Encircled by mountains densely covered with skyscraperish conifers.

“Roshan! Roshan! Where are you?” And out comes a shiny-skinned, superbly mountain-fit guy smiling to his ears. “Can I have my omelette with this much chilli and that much pyaaz and this much pepper?” Sure you can buddy. But don’t expect instant service. And guess what, it doesn’t matter. Suddenly one is not the “Here’s-my-money-Where’s-my-service?” Delhi customer in an irate McDonald’s line anymore. One is – “Sure Roshan take your time. Life’s going along just fine. Water’s gushing down boulders at its own pace. Cat (who is a dog) is sniffing around at leisure. Let the omelette perform its crescendo slow and easy.”

After a while, “Ok Roshan..enough with all this Wordsworthy repose; where is my omelette!!??” But Roshan wins the duel as we’re clear; we just won’t lift our asses to pursue the O. Finally when the omelette arrives, moods have changed once again like shifting shadows. With food in front, people feel kindlier and all we do is order a round of pancakes. “Dripping with honey or maple syrup please” adds Rajat.

So where was I? Right. Recommending Jibhi like a good travelogue. Systematically. Do you know the route to Manali? That awesome long cold tunnel on the way? Well, don’t take that. Take a detour from the mouth of that tunnel towards Shoja and stop at Jibhi. Lay your bags down at Om Shanti tents.

How to get to Jibhi:
Load 3 Enfields with all you need (Spare parts extremely necessary as we realised). Pull on all your gear (Balaclava. Check. Riding jacket. Check. Camelbak. Check. Helmet. Check. Gloves. Check. Forgot the ipod? Ok.. undo. Redo from step 1). And braaaaang braaaang braaanggggg. A straight dash to Chandigarh (120 kmph) and then just corners all the way to Jibhi (80 kmph). Deep leans on the bike towards the green Beas every now and then. The universe keeps tilting side to side. The sky keeps dipping down. Night is fireworks against asphalt. Occasional foot scrapes too. I think I lost some toe.

P.S: Beware of involuntary initiation into the RE cult; to Raid, Odyssey, KTM, Roadshakers, Sachin Chavan, Chhotu Baljit, Karol Bagh, BMW, FI, Rann. Or what the hell, just soak it in.

If you encounter any bike-trouble in the Mandi area, put your fears at rest and head to the mechanic in town, who may say to you "Oh Ji Tension na leyo Tussi. Spare koi nahin haiga, siddha sab kuch kar deange!". Meanwhile, buy your chips & biscuits at shopkeeper next door; the guy who asked us "Ooji kithe chale?". Rajat (based on our uncertain plans): "Rohtang, barf dekhne." Shopkeeper: "errrr.. Baarf?.. elo sade fridge vich kinni lelo."

At Jibhi, once you have settled in the tents and bumbled about, if you wish for some goosebumpy action like Cranium-Contraction, walk up to the ridiculously close and totally pvt waterfall, over quaint bridges and dunk thyself in the cold H2O. Trust me, that should do the job. Or if you don’t trust me ask Rajat, Neeraj or Sidhu. Caution: It is advised not to have children around, as you react to the water and sudden change in temeperature.

At night, you can ask Roshan for a bonfire on the river-rocks, with your feet dipped in the running (freezing) water. We didn’t. As I said, we just lowtowed.

As Euripides, a Greek playwright, has said, “Experience, travel – these are an education in themselves.” We learnt a lot on the trip ourselves, such as:
Aunties who smoke are ‘cool’.
One does not shoot the messenger.
Lolling about beats exploration of natural beauty and magnificence.
Ideal girl-to-marry should be able to play Behnji & Babe with Jekyll & Hyde ease.
Never doubt a Mandi mechanic.

Adding to learnings with reminders from Rajat Gandhi:

On asking for directions, you might encounter the Epidemic of Dumbness that claims its Himalayan victims swiftly and painlessly.
The best green chutneys are not always green. (After a night of praising green chutney, one may realise it's rhododendron-red when the first rays of the sun shineth.)

More as I recollect:

Rajat is a mutant and his –ve vibes extinguish bonfires.
Drunk men think if they rub your bike’s tank (with ringed fingers) a genie might appear.
Drunk men will buy your bike at any cost because they are very rich.

Roshan, Om Shanti tents (and rooms), Jibhi @ 09418411837