The watch struck 9pm and we breathed a sigh of relief cause after a drive of 8 hours we were finally at our destination. It starts getting dark in hilly areas by evening and with the craziest roads they are blessed with driving at night becomes a little worrisome. As we stepped out of the car we were freezing cause the temperature was even colder than Manali from where we started the journey. Manali had a comfy climate compared to Jibhi. We had a warm welcome by the owner of the guest house who was waiting for us cause he was expecting us a little early and no matter how much i speak it ll be less for the hospitality of the people in mountains. We were so glad we chose Whispering Woods, though it wasn't the best place to be still it was located right next to the river flowing in its full form which made us freeze even more. The dinner was served which was made by owner’s wife and was so tasty! Compared to meals we have had so far and with the warmth of a heater we fell asleep!
With the morning came along a spectacular view which we couldn't see at night. And voila! what a gem we had included in our trip. The place was flourishing with beauty on all the sides, a valley abundant with tall pine trees, frosty mornings, sun piercing through the mist and a beautiful river flowing by. It was just the perfect place to be, the kind of place which feels like home and that is one of a kind place, which you will find in your entire trip where every single thing tells you to stay.
Jibhi is a hidden treasure in Banjar Valley of Himachal Pradesh, an offbeat location untouched by industrialization which is also referred as “Hamlet” & “Virgin Himachal”. It is an unspoiled location where you can breathe in peace as you sip your cup of tea in the lap of mother nature.
We spent the days trotting around the neighborhood, exploring local shops, hiking a small mountain, talking to the locals, visiting temples and trout fishing. At night we would sit by a bonfire singing, laughing, talking, cooking chicken and trout fish over a bonfire while the night continued to freeze. Another night we met a foreign traveler who has been staying in this place for over a year now, he tells us of how he earns his stay here by wall paintings and how he has survived while he had nothing when he came to this place but only lives on the passion of travelling, he told us of so many experiences that he had experienced over the time. It gives you so much happiness to share all these journeys and stories cause all i know is, how can you live and have no stories to tell? Rising of dawn made us sad cause we had to leave this place early morning and head towards Amritsar.
As we bid goodbye to the lovely couple who had been really great host and made our stay even more better, i was taking with me millions of memories and experiences, which are going to stay with me forever. I already knew i am gonna miss this place the most out of the other places cause in the end it doesn't matter how many breaths you took but how many moments took your breathe away and on this note i leave this spellbinding place with a promise to come back again! ♥️
