My top destination for 2022 was the magical pueblo of Jardin, Colombia, in coffee country. High in the Andes mountains, this is must visit, especially if you are a fan of the 2021 Disney movie Encanto.
In July, with some Colombian friends, I took a three hour bus ride from Medellin to Jardin.
The road to Jardin winds through the lush Andes and is an adventure in itself, as the mostly well maintained mountain highways in Colombia seem to be perpetually under construction. There was a lot of stop and go traffic on the way.
At each pueblo we passed, vendors would jump on board our 25 passenger bus selling various Colombian street food.
I found the bus ride to be tolerable with the help of the Colombian national spirit, Aguardiente. The anise based liquor is similar in taste to Greek Ouzo. Aguardiente can be found at any Colombian celebration or gathering where it is shared communally.
The highlight on the road was seeing my favorite mountain in the world, the spectacular pyramid shaped Cerro Tusa.
On arriving in Jardin we took two Tuk Tuks to our Airbnb. The three wheeled “golf cart”, the Tuk Tuk can be found as a form of transportation in many tourist destinations throughout Latin America.
The pueblo is a mostly flat square mile across, surrounded by coffee farms in the hills above, all framed by breathtaking mountain ranges in the distance.
As most Latin America pueblos, Jardin has a large plaza in the center of town, as usual it is anchored by a majestic church, in this case the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
As is standard, the plaza is surrounded by businesses. Being this is coffee country, Jardin has a plethora of cafes. Just find a table and a chair in the plaza and a mesero or mesera will quickly come and take your order.
I am not much of a coffee drinker, but when in Rome, I went ahead and had a few “tintos” (small cup of coffee) on this trip. Tip: rumor has it the best coffee is exported, so you might be disappointed.
Since I was only here for the weekend, I took advantage of my time by waking up at the golden hour just after sunrise to walk around the town. Having the place pretty much to myself, watching the soft light on the colorful buildings with the mountain ranges in the distance was truly breathtaking.
On Saturday night the plaza came alive as tourists and locals alike all gathered to enjoy the perfect weather, that included an occasional warm rain shower.
Vendors selling novelties and street food set up in the bustling plaza. The church was brightly lit towering over all the festivities.
My amigas and I found a table outside of a cafe bar, perfect for people watching. After ordering a bottle of Aquardente, the mesera took our musical requests to be played by the house DJ. My contribution was the appropriate Freddy Fender’s classic “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”.
While children run around the plaza, the locals met with friends and shared spirits and stories. Some of the coffee farmers on horseback came to show off their riding skills. A source of local pride, the horses entertained the crowds as they danced along the cobblestone streets.
As the Aguardiente began to flow, I could not stop smiling, like in the movie Encanto, here in Jardin, I was captured by the magical realism of Colombia.
