Cathedral tower, Old Town, Cartagena.

My first dinner in Cartagena was at "El Santissimo," described as an upscale, casual restaurant serving "nuevo Caribbean" fare. I started out with a very fresh avocado and tomato salad with basil vinaigrette.

The main course was "Obatala," a traditional costena beef stew, made with tender beef and caramelized onions, paired with a Cabernet. In the little green banana boat was rice in sweetened coconut milk. Divine!

How would you like to set up this curio stand every morning and break it down every night?

This row of cerviche stands was located in Parque del Centenario, just outside the old walled city in the older colonial district known as Getsemanie, where my hotel was located.

A rare, uncrowded shot of the entrance to the Old Town, Cartagena.

Tall ships along Muelle Turistico de la Bodequita, or the old port of Cartagena.

This old port also serves as the departure point for tourist boats to Playa Blanca and the El Rosario islands.

Skyline of Cartagena's Old City, behind the city walls.

Ramparts almost completely surround the old city.

Cartagena's Bocagrande, which is the nearby L-shaped peninsula resembling Miami Beach with high rise, beachfront hotels.

Cartagena's waterfront could use a little face lift, (along with a few public toilets so every concrete structure does not smell like pee!)