#900 Cartagena, Colombia

If ever you wanted to imagine yourself in the heart of the Spanish empire during it's prime, the place to go is Cartagena de Indias on Colombia's Caribbean coast. A walled city with a supporting fortress, it was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia -- the pride of the Spanish America. But it's importance meant that it was sacked and pillaged several times -- first by Frenchman Jean-Francois Roberval, and later by the notorious pirate Sir Francis Drake and again by the governor of Saint Domingue (Haiti).

A slaving port where gold and silver left the Americas for Spain (via Havana), it also housed the Inquisition Holy Office Court, but was one of the first places to declare independence from Spain. Watched over by the enormous Castle of San Felipe de Barajas fortress, it prospered and shone.

The famous areas of Cartagena include Getsemani (the old area), Bocagrande (the high rises along the beach spit), and other districts. It was the setting for Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and remains in heart of the costenas, and of most Colombians with its narrow balconied streets, colorful houses, art, restaurants, crafts and culture. 

I particularly love the metal statues doing ordinary things like playing chess, walking the dog, or eating icecream, and the dance and singing performance in the inner city parks in the afternoon is a great tradition. A museum of the Inquisition exists, along with infamous night clubs and multiple churches. The upper class side was at one stage divided from the rest with a moat, and the inner harbor is still a long sail away from the outer gates that protected Cartagena-- its inner most gap was made impassable for defensive purposes. Playa blanca amuses tourists with its white sands and party vibe, and the Islas del Rosario national park offer snorkelling and diving. A mud volcano is nearby, and the overall city vibe is exciting. 

A horse carriage at sunset or a bicycle going over a bridge above the city streets, or a stroll along the ramparts looking over the crashing waves. Beautiful, timeless, elegant, a strong old lady.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartagena,_Colombia 

#915 Whale sharks off Cancun, Mexico

During the summer months, if you travel about an hour's speedboat ride off the coast of Cancun and Isla Mujeres in Mexico, you will come to a place where there are often hundreds of whale sharks swimming. The krill and plankton sits on the surface, and therefore, so do the whale sharks. In an industry highly regulated by the Mexican government, you are permitted to swim with them. Wow! What an amazing experience! They are so large and peaceful, with their wide mouths and swishing tails. They say if you can take a picture of their finger-print side, this unique genetic code can be posted online to tell you where else in the world they have been to.

Isla Mujeres for lunch!

#916 San Blas Islands, Panama

In a hidden corner of Panama, down near the Colombian border on the Caribbean coast lies an archipelago which is quite unique from a political perspective. The San Blas islands are autonomous and pretty much self-ruling despite being part of Panama. Their isolation and lack of valuable resources has meant that throughout history they have been seen as a place of transit rather than somewhere valuable to own in its own right. This has allowed the people of the San Blas to maintain their lifestyle and cultural practices and live similarly to how they have for centuries.

Effectively most islands are windswept sand bars in a picturesque ocean location (100s of them), but the Comarque de Kuna Yala are a proud example of effective indigenous independence, the first of their kind in Latin America. Foreigners (including Panamanians) are not allowed to run businesses here and often foreigners are charged a fee to visit the islands. Subsisting on tropical foods and the abundant marine life, their lifestyles have not changed for decades. 

Diving is forbidden in the Archipelago de San Blas, and other activities are strictly monitored (so no jet skis and cruise ships!). The pretty blue waters with cute yellow starfish and recent sailboat wrecks are a world away from lively Panama City, and disembarking into the jungle is onto a dirt trail up a small creek.

Paradise?

Source: Lonely Planet Central America 7th Edition

#920 Panama Canal, Panama

An astonishing feat of engineering that has changed modern times, the Panama Canal has been owned by three countries, connects two vast countries, has been functioning for almost a century, broke a country in two, and cost untold lives in its difficult construction. It is part of the modern economy ticking away and truly a marvel of human engineering.

It's being expanded and improved in time for its century anniversary. Truly a marvel!

One of the dredging boats that dug the canal.

A view of the construction of the canal from inside the museum.

Looking from the Miraflores locks towards the Pacific Ocean.

Draining the canal.

The many viewers -- a popular tourist attraction!

The modern ships dwarf the Miraflores station. Most ships are now constructed to within centimeters of fitting within the canal.

Miraflores locks.

#930 Shark and Ray Alley, Caye Caulker, Belize

Just off Caye Caulker, south of Ambergris Caye, in Belize's off-shore coral reef, is the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, and one of it's special features is a snorkelling site called Shark (and) Ray Alley. The reason it is so called is because it's almost guaranteed that you will see sharks and rays when you visit! Beautiful nurse sharks either circle around you  or sleep on the ocean floor. Southern sting rays hide on the sandy bottom or float gracefully past. All this in only a couple of meters of water!

Some videos!

Source: http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/parksharkrayalley.html