Coming of age in the mid-’80s, nightly news emanating from Colombia made it an unlikely travel destination, given the perilous narcotics trade and drug warlords’ turf protection. In the years since 1993, when "King of Cocaine" Pablo Escobar was killed, things have certainly changed. It’s true that the Revolutionary Armed Forces remain an enormous domestic problem: In the provinces, indigenous people are forcibly removed from their land without compensation, causing a displacement to cities ill-equipped to handle mass relocation. Nevertheless, Colombia, with its rich cultural history, excellent cuisine, hip art scene, incredible museums, natural beauty and overwhelmingly kind and hospitable people, make it a memorable and affordable destination with something for everyone.

My travel partner George and I landed in Bogota at noon, and following a 15-minute cab ride, we arrived at La Candelaria, Bogota’s historic center — where the vast majority of sights are — and checked into Hotel Augusta. It’s a modern yet charming 10-story hotel with quirky, colorful art in the lobby. After getting settled, we walked north to the base of Cerro (Hill) de Monserrate, where we took the cable car to the top for an unforgettable view of Bogota, including, in the distance, an enormous statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The sanctuary sits at 10,341 feet above sea level. As you start to ascend the few stairs to it and the surrounding park, religious statues and souvenir kiosks just behind it, you definitely feel the altitude. Despite being a five-day-per-week cardio-gym rat, rubber legs, some nausea and breathlessness that didn’t fit the exertion level prevailed.

Since it was Sunday, Mass was ongoing, and we were treated to lovely chamber music. For a different vantage we took the funicular down. However, if you don’t like heights, don’t look down on the descent; it’s Disneyland E-ticket steep.

A five-minute walk from Monserrate’s base is La Quinta de Bolivar, Simon Bolivar’s residence from 1818 to 1828, and a good example of colonial architecture and furnishings with surrounding gardens.

Dinner options were limited on a Sunday, but luckily a great place near our hotel was open. At El Sabor de Lupe, we had a delicious meal of "aji­aco" — tasty chicken and potato soup, followed by shredded chicken with mole sauce, seasoned rice, salad and ice-cold Colombian Poker beer.

Although we saw several beautiful churches, many interesting museums and historic plazas and architecturally significant buildings during our five days in Bogota and surroundings, two highlights were The Botero Museum and The Graffiti Tour, both of which are free.

Fernando Botero, who turns 84 in April, donated his private collection to the Banco del Republica, which built a gorgeous building to house the massive collection of Botero’s rotund subjects on canvas, and bronze sculptures. The museum also houses several paintings by Dali, Chagall, Klimt, Picasso and numerous other masters. Attached to The Botero is the Museo Nusmatica (Money Museum) if one is interested in money-making mechanics, and the Coleccion de Arte, which houses the collections of several important South American artists, including an entire room devoted to artist Alejandro Obregon’s work inspired by political violence in Colombia.

The Graffiti Tour is led by Colombian-born, Wisconsin-raised artist Ray Garcia and will forever alter your viewpoint of graffiti. Tagging this is not; it’s art. It’s beautiful, descriptive, political and often functional: re-gentrifying decaying buildings with colorful, artistic fervor and often social commentary.

We spent two additional days walking through the historic district of La Candelaria, and seeing several top-notch museums: Museo del Oro (gold), Museo de Esmeralda (emeralds), Museo Santa Clara (flower nuns) and impressive churches (San Francisco, La Calendaria, La Tercera). Colombia is also the world’s largest exporter of top-quality emeralds. Should jewelry be in your budget, the best quality and prices were at the Emerald Trade Center on Avenida Jimenez (start on the third floor and work your way down). Negotiating is expected and cash is king, though credit cards are accepted.

Wanting to see other parts of Bogota, we took a 20-minute ride to Usaquen, once its own distinct pueblo. The charming church plaza was surrounded by several trendy restaurants, and nearby is a mall created from an old hacienda. Heading back toward La Candelaria, we stopped to stroll at Calle de los Antiquarios (Antique Street) — because one never knows what one will find. Our wallets intact, our taxi dropped us in Maca-rena, a bohemian area with several avant-garde galleries, hip restaurants and bars. At the Valenzuela Klenner Gallery, we viewed a short film on Albanian artist Amri Sala. Inspired by Bogota’s graffiti art, Sala leads the effort in Albania’s capital, Tirana, to paint building exteriors in bright colors, following years of political isolation and urban decay.

Attracted by the northern provinces, we went on a full-day excursion with our terrific guide Juli-ana and driver Javier. After leaving Bogota, we drove through verdant areas and vistas until we arrived at Laguna (Lake) de Guatavita. From there it’s a 20-minute, fairly steep climb to the crater’s top. At nearly 10,000-foot elevation we were breathless, but the view is breathtaking.

We stopped at Sol y Luna (Sun and Moon) in tiny Sesquile and had lunch of fresh-squeezed blackberry juice, spicy vegetable soup and garlic-glazed whitefish that was both delicious and so fresh, it was certainly swimming just hours before. Driving on, we stopped for coffee in sleepy Nemecon, a pocket-size colonial-era pueblo. Thirty minutes later we arrived at Zapaquira’s Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral), where, carved from Halite deposits in a salt mine 600 feet underground, lies an engineering feat: a massive cathedral, including 12 stations of the cross lit with changing colors, covering 25 acres on three levels.

Leaving Bogota, we took a one-hour flight to Cartagena, a coastal city founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia. Ten minutes after we landed, we were at Casa Bustamante, an old haci-enda with large rooms and a small refreshing pool, just outside the wall of the Centro Historico (Old City). The Old City, enclosed by a massive stone wall, is the original Spanish settlement. The city was pilfered several times throughout history, including, in 1568, by privateer Sir Francis Drake. In 1984, UNESCO named Cartagena a World Heritage Site. Cartagena also gained notoriety from the movie "Romancing the Stone." (The movie was actually filmed in Mexico.)

Part of the fun of the Old City is meandering about, getting lost, seeing churches, admiring colorful, colonial architecture and then stopping for a fresh-squeezed juice or ice-cold beer. Street names are rarely used; instead, you gain perspective by going from one main plaza (Bolivar, Santa Domingo, San Diego) to another.

We spent three days walking around pleasurably (or rather getting lost in) the Old City and nearby Getsemani, seeing several churches, the San Felipe Fort and Casa Museo Rafael Nunez, home of four-time Colombian President Raphael Nunez (who was born and died in Cartagena). Nunez also wrote several verses of Colombia’s national anthem and its constitution. The museum is reflective of traditional 19th-century Cartagena architecture and contains memorabilia of a life politically lived.

We sampled inspired yet inexpensive Caribbean seafood cuisine and, at La Licciola, the best mojitos this side of Havana. We also enjoyed fresh fruit from street vendors, and far too many pastries and "arepas" (grilled cheese pancakes) from the dozens of bakeries and carts that abound with intoxicating aromas.

Willing to try something different, we went to the thermal mud baths at Volcan de Lodo el Totumo. Just 45 minutes north of Cartagena, Totumo spews tepid, bubbling liquid clay. It was like swimming in unsinkable, warm glue, only therapeutic.

After eight days of Colombian travel, it was time to rest. We took a 40-minute boat ride to Hotel del Encanto on Baru Island, where we passed the day, reading and relaxing in a hammock and swimming the warm Caribbean. A fresh seafood lunch made it perfect. However, it was not enough; our final day, we took the boat to Playa Blanca, also on Baru, where the turquoise waters and beach bar seduced us.

During the drive to the airport for our Panama flight, it became clear returning would be necessary; there was simply too much to see in Colombia. Next time: Medellin, Cali and the Amazon.

Inspired by Cartagena, Gabriel Garcia Marquez so aptly wrote in "One Hundred Years of Solitude," "There is always something left to love." Indeed.