Colombian Travel Winding Down. Salamina to Jardin experiences.
Travel to Jardin!? Â So many conflicting answers. Â So I did the only thing that made sense: Â Start! Â I got the earliest bus to La Pintada. Â Early gives more options. Â And I was told that there is a 6:00 am but to La Pintada that arrives at 9:00, then another bus at 10{00 am to Jardin. Â There was a 6:30 bus. Â It arrived at 10:00 am. Â Chaos everywhere but no obvious bus to Jardin. Â Then, a driver offered me a ride. Â The video on the left describes the journey!
Ahhhhh...Jardin!
Patient travel, then moe patience, and finally I arrived in Jardin. Â It was 3:00 pm when I got there after being at the bus station at 6:00 am. Â The bus dropped me at a different spot this time, right next to the central plaza, only a 2 block walk to my hostel.
I had only booked two nights. Â The website made it sound as if they were full and had only the one room left. Â I didn’t want a crowded noisy place! Â Once I arrived and checked in, I was walked to the same room I had last time. Â It was at the back beside an open courtyard. Â That means fresh air at night with minimum street noise. Â It was not crowded, there were only two other people here. Â I spent the afternoon in my hammock and extended my stay two more nights. Â Great location, friendly people, comfy space and close to everything@
Exploring Jardin without all the Rain
I was here for a few days last April after my Amazon experience.  It rained everyday!  That severely limited my exploration.  At that time, my knees were significantly more sore.  The physical therapy I’ve been doing, combined with other exercises I found, have noticeably strengthened both knees.  So walking and exploring farther afield was a great option.  My first morning after breakfast, I walked to new areas of  the village I hadn’t seen before!  What a lovely stroll! Â
Slow and easy, meandering about, I found some lovely spots. Â One was a trail leading into the mountains, Â Another was a road leading out of town to where the trout farms are. Â And another discovery: Â 1943 Social Cafe! Â Oh My! Â What a stunning place!
After walking for a couple hours, I was certainly ready for a lemonade. Â This is where I had lemon off the tree fresh squeezed into my drink. Â The coffee is good and the people amazingly friendly. Â I made a couple videos to communicate the experience clearly!
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Speaking of walking
After a day of mostly relaxing my first full day here, I went out for an early morning walk. Â I brought my trekking poles and my knee brace so went prepared. Â “Poco a Poco” is the expression here….little by little. Â The path turned into a gravel and dirt road heading up into the mountains. Â A ton of birds serenaded me. Â It was early morning and cool. Â As I walked up a bit farther, I was serenaded by the delightful stream! Â How lovely.
Then, the climb began.  Up and up and up!  I wouldn’t have been able to do this before.  Such a nice feeling exploring, talking with locals, meeting other walkers and such.  Eventually, after  more than an hour, I reached the top (for me) and took a road back to Jardin.  About 5 minutes into the descent, I came to the little cafe at La Herrerita with an awesome view of the village below!  Stunning!  They opened about 15 minutes before I arrived.  I was the only customer…but that changed quickly. Â
From there, I debated going back the way I came or continuing down (assuming it would be down). Â I proceeded in the new direction….which promptly began going up more. Â Then, the last part was a steep descent which is harder on my knees. Â Poco a poco….slow and easy. Â In hindsight, I’d go down the other direction next time because there is more shade and the sound of the stream!
For example, the little waterfall, Cascada Amor, below:
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That afternoon, I walked to La Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas! Â
I was here before but it was pouring rain most of the time. Â There were a lot of birds but it was difficult trying to get photos. Â This time, there were very few around but as the afternoon wore on, there were a lot of them. Â What an interesting squawking they make! Â The reserve is only open between 3;00 AND 6:00. Â And there are other birds there as well. Â It is a short walk from the village. Â Plus, you get extra exercise on the long uphill walk back to the village. Â
I spent six hours on my legs today. Â What wonderful exploring!!
Colombian Travel Winding Down
A week from now, I’ll be back in Colorado. Â It’s amazing how quickly time has passed! Â It’s even more amazing how long it feels since I started my trip! Â It feels like months!
Tomorrow, I travel to the village of Andes which is quite near. Â I didn’t see a single tourist last time I was there. Â I’ll go explore the area where coffee is processed, relax at the plaza, then get up early. Â My Chiva leaves at 6:00 am the following morning. Â It is roughly 3 hours through the mountains which I prefer to a longer more sterile bus ride! Â The scenery was amazing! Â
The Chiva will deliver me to Jerico for my last few days.  I’m staying smack in center of  the village near the plaza.  The final two nights, I’ll be outside town at https://www.cabanasyflores.com
Have a look. Â Natural, near by, out in the country and a perfectly peaceful spot for me to chill before traveling home. Â
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