Cartagena Offers The Best Of The Caribbean, Miami (PHOTOS)

Cartagena, Colombia has been in the news so much lately than even the taxi driver who took me to the airport this morning was gossiping. "Eighty U.S. dollars," he scoffed. "All those guys had to do was give her the money."

Of course, Cartagena is much more than the site of the recent Summit of the Americas and its associated hooker drama. A cosmopolitan metropolis flanked by a 500-year old, walled historical center that was once frequented by pirates, Cartagena is often referred to as the "next Miami."

In fact, Cartagena is a rich mixture of several cities and regions in the Caribbean, from the West Indies, to Panama and, yes, even South Beach Miami. As I say "goodbye" to Cartagena and "hello" to Colombia's coffee triangle, I invite you to take a photo journey through the city with me.