Off to the Coffee Region

As we left Medellin we were both saddened by the fact that it will be a long time before we ever get back. The city was definitely one of our favourites in all our travels so far, but we still aren’t finished exploring this beautiful country, so it was time to move on. We hopped on another bus and headed to coffee country.

High up in the Colombian Andes was a small town named Jardin - which is the Spanish the word garden. The town is a moderate temperature year round, and is surrounded by flowing hills of coffee trees and banana palms, as well as full time blooming flowers of every colour.

The centre of the town became quite lively as the evening began. When the sun sets, workers from the surrounding farms return to the village to sip coffee and beer while chatting with friends. It’s also a popular spot for weekenders getting away from Medellin, the first weekend we arrived was a very vibrant scene. Yet even with all the celebrations going on, Jardin held onto its small town vibes.

We decided to go check out what was around the town. Passing by beautiful flowers and trees, and a fair amount of mud (due to the rainy day we had the day prior), we hiked up into the hills for a gorgeous view of the beautiful town we came to love.Such a magical place with a gorgeous view. At the top of this hill was a cable car, or a garden shed on a cable that looked not particularly safe but appeared to be functional. While waiting to give this contraption a try, we sat down at the little cafe on the hill and enjoyed a beer. With that little bit of liquid courage, we braved the shaky shed as it swung side to side across the valley below. It wasn’t as bad as it looked!

Feeling hungry we decided to head to the other side of town by the river we went for lunch at one of the local trout farms. When we arrived, the place was deserted aside from an older lady who was feeding the fish. We asked about eating and she fired up the grill and started to prepare the feast. About half hour later the feast was ready: salad, dips, fried plantain and the reason we were there, the beautiful pink trout. The lady watched with pride as we ate the delicious meal. While the views were beautiful and worth the walk, the fish was beyond amazing!

With full bellies we headed back home to get ready for the the next mornings activity: the long journey to the town of Filandia.