I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the thought of going to Colombia for a ten day trip back in December.  I''ve heard several stories about the violence, lawlessness, drug cartels and kidnappings.  For the most part Colombia has always been considered off limits for the North American Gringo and probably for good reason.  Thing is, I''ve already been to Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Guatemala, etc and I wanted to try something new.  And the more I heard about Bogota''s nightlife and the beautiful towns along the Caribbean coast, the more I was intrigued and wanted to go.

So when the opportunity knocked in December I jumped on a plane and flew to Bogota.  Bogota is a cool city, located high in the Andes, and is modern with its skyscrapers and financial center.  There are also historical colonial buildings and churches in the old city.  Walking around the city you can feel the Spanish and North American influences as well as indigenous Indian influences.  Probably the most interesting structures are located in the part of town called Centro or Zona 5.  But I have to admit I wasn''t visiting Bogota for its colonial churches or architecture, I wanted to really dig into the nightlife.

Through a local contact I was able to find my way to party not too far off the Zona Rosa.  The Zona Rosa is located in Zona 1 Norte and is where you will find the majority of the restaurants, bars, clubs and nightlife in Bogota.  Anyhow, at the party there was a live salsa band, dancing and lots of drinking.  The crowd was young and festive and everyone was friendly and generally very cool. It was definitely a great time.

I had couple big nights in Bogota, drank entirely too much, so I decided to clear my head and go to the Caribbean coast -to Cartagena- and relax and do a little scuba diving. Cartagena is divided into two parts; El Centro and Boca Grande.  El Centro is the original walled colonial city of Cartagena.  It''s the charming part of town with its winding narrow streets, cobblestones, numerous plazas and squares, churches and pastel colored homes with huge balconies.  El Centro is somewhat lively and has plenty of places to eat, drink and sleep.

Boca Grande is just a short taxi trip form El Centro and is where you''ll find the local beach.  It''s more modern and hip the El Centro with its high rise building, condos and hotels.  This is where you will probably find better nightlife, casinos and beach bars.  This is also the place to go if you want to meet people (particularly Colombians on holiday).  Although Boca Grande is cool, but I opted to stay in the old city and take a taxi (for about $2 US) when I wanted to go out or go to the beach.   The Beach is fun, full of people, and very social, although somewhat polluted.  I recommend taking a boat to Isla Rosario if you want to find the stunning crystal clear waters and fine white sand beaches the Caribbean is known for.  There are also small islands where you can stay the night for a decent price.

When I went diving we took a boat to Isla Rosario, a series of small islands, and did three very nice dives.  I would say the diving is world class in Isla Rosario and recommend it to anyone who loves scuba. 

Cartagena is a great destination because it has history, night life, beaches and diving. And it''s totally safe.  Apart from the regular street hustlers, who are just annoying, I didn''t have any issues what so ever.  Overall I found Colombia to be an excellent destination.  It''s beautiful, fun affordable; the people are friendly and it''s a relatively safe place.  I didn''t get kidnapped or robbed, but I used a fair amount of common sense.   So I recommend Colombia, particularly Cartagena, if you''re looking for an exotic destination that''s affordable and has festive Latin flavor.  It''s a wonderful destination.