Jericó is a conservative, religious town about 3 hours southwest of Medellín. The multi-level brick principal park is bordered by a massive brick church that matches the plaza. Old men wearing cowboy hats stand around the perimeter of the plaza, chatting with each other and watching people walk by.
The houses and business in the center of Jericó are all painted in subdued, two-toned pastel colors, making it a really beautiful town to wander through.
A few blocks from the town’s center is an extremely well-maintained botanic garden. It has a real “Secret Garden” feel, and I imagine if I lived here I would spend many of my days reading books inside, either on the edge of the cliff that has great views of the town or sitting along the small lake on one of the benches.
While waiting for my vegetarian lunch to be ready, I heard the microwave going. Uh-oh. You never want to hear a microwave in a restaurant, do you? The woman brings out my “vegetarian” lunch, a huge bowl of beans mixed in with bits of hot dogs. I politely reminded her I’m a vegetarian, and she brings me a plate so that I can pick out the hot dogs. Oh no she didn’t. After she realized I wasn’t going to be picking out any dead pigs from my beans, she told me about another soup she has. I asked her if there was any meat at all in the soup, she said no, it’s tortillas. The hum of the microwave goes again. She brings me the “meatless” soup, though I am sure there are bits of chicken in it. I make a lame excuse about being really full and head out the door. She again promises me there is no meat in the soup. I don’t believe her.
As with every other Latin American town I’ve been to, there are a good selection of churches to look at (or to attend service in, if you’re so inclined). The main church is kind of ugly, but there is a beautiful Gothic church a couple of blocks behind it.
No trip to Jericó is complete without at least one cup of coffee. There are lots of cafes/restaurants surrounding the principal plaza, and an amazing cup goes for about 25 cents. I’ve had four today. Think I’m overdoing it? :)
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