My next stop after Guatape was Jardin. I was hoping my luck would turn as I was feeling a bit grumpy. But it didn’t. Well … sort of. Jardin turned out to be an amazing little town that I really enjoyed.
Riding to Jardin
To get to Jardin I just followed my GPS. I really shouldn’t have as it took me through Medellin and all its traffic. And it was a route I had already taken. I don’t like backtracking. It also rained as I went through Medellin. Not a lot, but apparently enough to get my phone wet.
I had my phone in the same waterproof pocket I had used the entire trip. Up until now it had kept it dry. I guess my coretex waterproofing has seen better days.
When I got to Jardin the phone screen started to flicker. I turned the phone off and put it in a rice bath.
Hotel Kantarrana Urbana Jardin
I stayed in a really nice hotel. It was cheap, the staff were really nice, and it was clean. All I could expect in a hotel.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Parque Principal
My first stop after checking into my hotel is the main square and the church that is always at one end.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was very cool as most all the churches are in Colombia.
Unfortunately, the square, Parque Principal, was under re-construction. That was really too bad :-(.
The businesses around the park were quite different than I had experienced before. Rather than restaurants or craft shops appealing to tourists, these were just hole in the wall cafes. And what I found odd was that no one seemed to have food or beer. Everyone was sipping on coffee.
The town looked so nice that I decided to spend one more day in Jardin than I had originally booked.
Exploring Jardin
Perhaps exploring is too grandiose of a word ha ha. Jardin is very small. But I enjoyed walking the streets and looking out into the hills beyond it.
I noticed as I walked around that most people lived in small places along the street consisting of a bedroom, living room and kitchen. A lot of the time the living room also served as a parking lot for their motorcycle or bicycle.
A wonderful little town. I just wish I was there to enjoy the park as well.
Cafe Europa
A really nice small little restaurant in Jardin is Cafe Europa. I counted only 6 tables in the restaurant.
The nights I was there I enjoyed a Greek salad to up my vegetable intake which has often suffered on this trip.
And of course a beer.
While I ate at Cafe Europa, this one server always spoke to me in Spanish. I didn’t find anyone in Jardin that spoke English so that wasn’t unusual. However, at the end of the last night I ate there, all of a sudden he spoke to me in English. I was kind of shocked. Now I could actually have a more in depth conversation with him.
It turned out that he was born and raised in Jardin but went to Medellin to study English and French at the university. However, he found Medellin and the university to be so big and lots of hustle and bustle. So he decided to return to simple life in Jardin to figure out what he really wanted to do.
He told me that most people in Jardin work 4 or 5 hours a day and spend the rest of the time sipping coffee by the park and talking to each other.
I really enjoyed our conversation and Jardin as a whole. Such a relaxing environment.
My Route on November 22, 2017
My Location on November 23 and 24, 2017
