Cartagena is a terrific place to visit- perfect weather, plenty of history, beautiful people, rum, beaches, nightlife, etc. There are also beggars, drug dealers, and armed soldiers on every corner. If machine guns freak you out, you might want to consider someplace else. Spent 10 days over the New Year's holiday, which is when all of Columbia descends on the old colonial quarter to shop, drink & dance. The explosions which woke us up at 3 AM were fireworks from the 4 day Ultramar electronic  more...