Cartagena de Indias

Cartagena of the West Indies, or Cartagena for short is a Columbian destination, but it's flavor is purely Caribbean.

Spaniards came here in the mid-1500s and made havoc with the place, slowly torturing the native people (the Mocanáes) that were here.

Cartagena was a slave port,one of two in the region. Slavery was outlawed in 1852.

Today many of Cartagena's inhabitants are descendants of the African immigrants.

This highly spirited places offers some of the best architectural and people photo-ops I've seen in this part of the world.

I've wanted to come here for a very long time and am glad I made it.

Is it safe?

Yes, there's some tension here between rich and poor, perhaps a little more pronounced than some other Latin American cities.

Today was interesting as it rained buckets, so much so the streets were flooded. The rain failed to dampen spirits, as many of the men built bridges with planks of wood and milk cartons, and physically helped people step across the street. Smiles percolated as people crossed both among the men helping and the people crossing.