It was a steep winding drive off the freeway to get up to the town of Jericó, a place overlanders don’t visit but that Layne had heard was a place worth seeing. We had to drive through the clouds to get there.
Traffic was light thank goodness but it took us almost an hour to drive 12 miles. This is why:
The road was lumpy potholed and patched but eventually we got there, cows and all.
I will never get used to the crazy angle of some of the streets in this hilly country. It’s absolutely terrifying driving your five ton home over the lip and every time we drive up these horrors we are grateful for our ridiculously huge knobby all terrain tires (KO2s by Goodrich). They never let go in dirt or cobbles. In real life this is twice as steep as it looks and this is still rainy season.
Jericó was founded in 1850 at 6300 feet above sea level and has a population of 8500 people. It’s not a foreign tourist destination but Medellin is 65 miles away and I suspect many of those two and a half million city dwellers look to Jericó, a heritage city, as a lovely weekend getaway. Mind you Google maps says those 65 miles will take two and a half hours to drive. Nothing is easy here.
The main square with the Archbishopric’s Cathedral of Mary the Merciful behind.
If I’m right that this is a weekend getaway for city people this place must be hopping when they show up. Midweek was pretty laid back and I liked it as it felt like the locals owned the place. They looked at us like we had just landed from outer space when they heard us speaking English.
The cathedral looks unique to me, a cement framework with walls built of bricks. Layne preferred to stay outside with Rusty allowing the Catholic schoolboy to wander inside.
It was astonishingly different to my eye. The walls are not plastered and there isn’t much in the way of artwork inside.
These statues gave me a turn, the nun and the Indian child, elsewhere this pair might send entirely the wrong message.
Rusty was sitting there staring at the door just waiting for me to come out. It’s pretty humbling to be the object of such devotion especially from a smart dog.
We discussed our travel plans and he told the local dogs he wasn’t in the mood. This was his bench.
He didn’t hate them all but there were lots of local dogs and he was tired. We had made plans to spend the night in a parking lot.
Layne decided she wanted an orange juice…
…so he got to work. A giant glass for a buck.
Supermarkets don’t carry much in the way of decent fruits and vegetables so Layne is always on the lookout for local fruit stands whether we are on foot or driving.
Colombia is the most dog friendly country we’ve visited and they take care of their dogs. It’s giving me pause to know that soon we will be going back to hungry street dogs and the indifference we dislike in Mexico.
I had Custom Coach build me a 110 volt outlet in the cupboard above my bed so I can run my CPAP when I sleep and I love that thing as it helps me greatly food sleep. The doctors told me I needed it after my motorcycle wreck and I depend on it even now for my rest. Indeed I have a spare unit tucked away just in case. But getting distilled water is a monstrous pain in some countries. In Colombia we’ve figured it out at the pharmacies and with the prospect of being in a new country in ten days I’ve stocked up. I have no idea who sells distilled water in Ecuador but I guess we’ll find out. It’s just one more thing to think about when you travel.
In the shopping department I got new Crocs made in Colombia for $6:25 but I have wide feet so I don’t a lot of choice with colors. On the other hand we got a red milk jug. In a country where minimum wage is $300 a month saving some money buying milk in plastic bags makes sense but you need a jug to keep the open bag from spilling. Finally we have one. A successful day in Jericó for us.
Up next is Medellin where Layne has been determined to go before we leave Colombia. Me? I’ll get overwhelmed but here we go hoping for the best. It’s no longer the narco trafficking city you’ve heard of because now it’s all over Instagram and I feel I’ve seen it already. I need to work up some enthusiasm.
