Romancing the stones

Not much has changed on that beach since my happy childhood winters, except that perhaps there are twice as many people selling sunglasses, seed necklaces, imported vodka, and canned pistachios. Without moving from your spot you can have a massage, get your nails done, your hair braided, and your hand read by a fortune-teller. Once someone even tried to sell me an endangered sloth.

That is why I now avoid most beaches here in favor of the more secluded ones at Rosario Islands archipelago -- a 45-minute boat ride -- or spend my time instead in Cartagena's true soul: the 470-year-old walled city. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city has managed to remain isolated from Colombia's political and military turmoil, and stay a safe tourism hot spot for decades.

Designed by Spaniards, built by slaves, besieged by pirates, coveted by kings, disputed by patriots, and terrorized by religion, Cartagena's history reads like an action movie script. The city was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia, against the wishes of the Calamar Indians, and named after Cartagena, Spain. A few years later, Spain's King Philip II learned the British were putting together a fleet of pirates to prey on his colonies in the Caribbean. So he summoned his star architect, Bautista Antonelli, and instructed him to fortify several port cities, paying special attention to Cartagena.

Because of its wide, secure bay, and strategic position at the top of South America, Cartagena became the exit point for immense riches plundered from the Indians and bound for Spain. In what must have been a sight to behold, a fleet of galleons, loaded with treasure accumulated over several months, would set sail twice a year protected by an armada of warships. It was clear this key commercial post had to be defended at all costs.