Gauchos, wearing ponchos and obnoxiously large hats, ride their finest horses to the bar in late afternoon as the sun is setting, turning the cobblestone streets a shade of orange. They dismount their rides and tie the horses to a small pole outside of the bar. The bar may be a shade of green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, or all of the above mixed into a beautiful rainbow. The bar is likely only large enough to sit 20 people inside, but the men don't care because the grand plaza is the only place to be in Jardin. The gauchos stay up until the wee hours of the morning drinking aguardiente or cervezas.
This is Jardin. A tiny town of 14,000 residents in northwest Colombia. Jardin feels like the true, authentic Colombia.
We imagine that the town has changed very little over the years. Women and men gather in the plaza daily to drink 30 cent tinto coffee and catch up on the latest gossip. The best part? Tourists opt to visit Guatape or Salento instead and often miss Jardin. You'll likely be the only 'gringo' in town.
For the love and adventure,
d & b