Going on a solo trip on my birthday was something that I wanted to do from a very long time. So finally, this year in January, I finally decided to gift myself a short trip to somewhere in the Himalayas. One day, while surfing through insta, I came across a post of this small village in Himachal called Jibhi, and just by looking at the picture, I knew I am going to visit this place someday. So, without much research, I headed to this hamlet. Since I have not travelled much before, I definitely had apprehensions being a first time solo traveller. But, has overthinking ever helped us? So, putting all my apprehensions at rest, I packed my bags and boarded the bus. I had heard about Mudhouse hostels from some of my friends, and decided to stay there. When I finally reached Mudhouse, I was unaware of the fact that this place is going to be my second home in the coming days and the people I am going to meet here, are going to be my family.
Being an introvert, I was very nervous on the first day, and to add on this I realized that I was all alone in my dorm. I was greeted by Rahul, the founder of Mudhouse, and he briefed me about the place and things to do in and around the area. Then I met Preetha Ji, who was a volunteer there. One thing I know for sure is that for me and all the other co-hostellers who met Preetha Ji, her nameitself is enough to feel the vibes, the aura which she carries and spreads all around her. The hostel was pretty empty the day I arrived as it was a weekday and there were hardly any tourists in the village. I met Bhawarth on the very first day. While speaking to him, I realized that it was his first ever solo trip and he seemed to be thrilled about it. This gujju boy is super sweet to everyone. As the name suggests, he is full of bhav (emotions). I went to Jalori pass with him and I genuinely enjoyed his company. We trekked, made a snowman (a snowwoman also ☺), tried out local food
and listened to some good old hindi songs. That day out with him made me realize that this trip might just turn out to be one of the most beautiful experiences ever. After coming back to hostel, I was finally relaxed to see one more person in my dorm. His name?
Manuraj Dubey aka Manu Bhai. He is a writer by profession. But, after spending literally few minutes with him, I realized this is the most stupid combination ever! Why? Because two introverts were put together in the same dorm. Haha! Looking at him, I thought to myself how stupid he is because being at a place where you can hear the sound of flowing river, he was roaming with his headphones on and wasn’t even interacting much. Well, things take time. People take time to open up. He did too! All thanks to Preetha Ji for pushing him to interact with other people and once he did, I realized how sweet he is, or I can say ‘a true gentleman’ in his very own words. In the evening,
all of us sat together in our dorm and discussed random things about life and travelling. Manu recited a few of his poems and I personally felt so relaxed after listening to those poems. Also, Manu and I are big time movie buffs which made the bond grew stronger organically by each passing day.
As the famous poet Majrooh Sultanpuri said:
maiñ akelā hī chalā thā jānib-e-manzil magar
log saath aate gaye aur kārvāñ bantā gayā
On the second day, a new member of our family-to-be Radhika checked in. I think she was trying to be an introvert on the very first day because now I know very well that she is nowhere close to the word introvert. Since she works for a travel startup, she obviously had many stories to share about her trips and that’s how all of us started talking. Honestly, I felt very jealous of her initially because she has done a fair amount of travelling and she just can’t stop talking about all the places she has been too. But, later on, her travel knowledge really did help us to explore Himachal in the best possible way. Coming to her, she is the most caring, sweet and adventurous person among all of us. She is so caring that we even gave her a nickname- mummy and we only addressed her that way throughout the trip just to tease her. But, admist the fun and enjoyment, I found a friend for
lifetime. She is the reason behind my 3 days trip being extended to 27 days, yes 27 DAYS!!!!
Whenever I told them that I need to go home as I came here for just 3 days, she always said “Agle weekend pakka chale jana koi nahin rokega tujhe bas is is hafte ruk ja”. But all thanks to Radhe for giving a new travel mantra to me that “a trip is not successful until it is extended” and yes Radhe I realize this now.
On my birthday evening, all of us huddled up around the bonfire while listening to some good local
himachali songs. When the clock was about to strike 12, Rahul took us to the nearby Jibhi waterfall for a walk. We stood in front of the waterfall while enjoying the sound of water falling from the top and staring at a sky full of stars. To my surprise, SP Bhai, the chef of Mudhouse, brought a cake there. It was the best birthday gift everrr! I was extremely happy when all these guys made me cut my birthday cake amidst nature and beauty. I felt extremely blessed. Just imagine cutting your birthday cake in front of a waterfall with the background sound of flowing water under the sky full of stars on the very first solo trip of your life with some beautiful souls, this is like a dream come true. I was so happy that the moment Rahul bhai said please take care someone will fall in the water, by then I was taking the midnight birthday bath in waterfall☺.
Next day two more beautiful souls arrived in the hostel, Aashreya and Sachpreet aka Tiger. For ease
of reference, I can say that these girls are synonyms of happy-go-lucky. None of us can forget their cute fights while trekking up to Raghupur fort. Later in the evening, when we came back, all of us were very tired, but all that tiredness vanished when Tiger started telling us her trekking experiencesand how she managed to reached the top. We all laughed a lot that night!
On third day I met Mayur Bhai and at the first glance itself, I had a very different impression of him
(haha, quite the opposite of what I have now). But, after we finally got to know each other, I realized how wrong I was. He is the guy who has been travelling from last 14-15 years, who has had many
experiences and adventures. What I admire the most about him is that even after travelling so much he still finds happiness in little things or experiences. His excitement for every new experience could be easily seen though his facial expressions. He is a gem of a person. I can never forget our last night in Jibhi. The hostel was overbooked and there were no beds available. Mayur bhai opened the doors of his personal room for everyone and literally 8 of us slept in that tiny room together. After that night, his room was named as “Mohalla Mohabbat wala”.
As days passed by, our bond grew stronger and my trip kept getting extended. From vibing on movie
dialogues to talking about our life goals, our group kept getting closer day by day. From the very first day Mudhouse felt like home to us. Every morning we would see Pankaj and SP Bhai cooking meals for us in the kitchen, the two constant smiling faces of Mudhouse. After having the delicious aloo paranthas and masala chai prepared by them and basking in the sun with other co-travellers, we would sit in the café and work from there in the daytime. Every night we would sit with new travellers in the café, played games with them, enjoy SP bhai’s rap/dhol sessions and then visit the waterfall at 12 in the night. My days in Jibhi felt like a dream. Every night, I was deeply touched to see how people were using their suffering as a fuel to live a purposeful life.
In Jibhi, I deeply sensed that every person present there is like a flower that is blossoming in its own
beautiful and unique way. Yes, each and every person present there, Rahul, Hamid, Preetha, SP, Pankaj, Radhika, Mayur, Manu, Bairagi, Adarsh, Sukaran, Ankit, Priyanka and many more who I met there were unique and beautiful in their own way. They all had a strong and everlasting effect on my life in some or other way.
In Jibhi, every day I was living a little more than yesterday, more grateful than yesterday. I was living
at my highest potential that made me look at life diffrently. I had no idea how the society is going to
see me after this trip. Some people might say that I have changed, but deep down I know I have
changed for the better.
As Radhika says, “you can have the right people, at the right place, at the right time, all at once”
My 13 days in Jibhi were unforgettable. I found a new home in Mudhouse, strangers became my
family, I made uncountable memories that I’d cherish forever and developed new perspectives
towards life.
Oh Jibhi, you made me fall in love with you and I’ll be back real soon!
