Jubbal-a small town located in the lap of mountains is surely worth a stopover. The town consists of small villages, by small I mean really small. A village comprises maximum of ten houses or families.
Famous for its apple orchards, it’s nothing less than a heavenly abode. Away from the entire hustle bustle that cities are wrapped with, Jubbal is nothing but a place which will soothe you with its tranquillity and freshness. A town less explored and mentioned about except when it comes to apples.
It’s roughly a three hour drive from Shimla around 90 KM (but all depends upon the road conditions, took me five hours to reach). The drive was rather uneventful (because of the road conditions) but the scenic beauty made sure I am not left with any grudges inside. As the dusk started to set in a dense blanket of twinkling stars overtook the senses. The moon sparkled like a diamond adding essence to the whole beauty. The air had a different feel attached to it. The freshness was something we city dwellers crave to experience. As I entered the wooden house I stayed at, I was left a bit amazed on seeing how low the roofs were. The rooms were small and cosy, having a lot of windows.
Every house has a place to sit called Daafi where one can sit and look at the mountains for hours at a stretch. A baithak in the kitchen which has wall to wall carpets is worth a mention. Beautiful cushions placed on the floor makes you feel as if one has entered the Mughal era. In the kitchen at a corner is placed a heating system called Bukhari which needs to be fed with wooden sticks from time to time.
Every morning the golden sun rays soaked the mountains giving them a fresh existence. But all I longed for was snowfall. After which the same place would have a pearly white facade. The snow would give an appearance as if the whole place was engraved out of wax all set to melt with the heat (in this case the sun).
Finally snow filled clouds sheltered the blue sky making it look like ivory. The soft drizzling swapped into snowflakes gradually covering every bit of the naked land. How I wanted to dive deep into the serenity of the place which rejuvenated me with vigour like never before. Apple trees covered with snow gave an impression as if someone had skilfully placed cotton on them. Everything seemed like a fairytale.
At last the snow loaded clouds gave way to some sunshine again. The clouds started to roll up the mountains and the sun stuck out of the clouds like a beacon. Every falling ray made the place covered with snow shine, giving it an achromatic visual appearance. The melting snow was greeted by chilly winds, adding to the bewitching charm that the place came nestled with.
Jubbal will always be on my top list whenever I feel like taking a break from the snarling city life. The peace it offered can’t really be put in writing but only experienced.
Written by Jaspreet Walia
