CASA QUIEBRACANTO

This guide to Casa Quiebracanto in Cartagena traces how Alvaro Manosalva turned a shuttered building, rumored to have hosted a hairdresser's, a betting den and even a guerrilla cell, into a two-story salsa hall in the early nineties. You'll hear why he chose this corner overlooking the Camellón de los Mártires and how he stacked the place with thousands of records and a stage for live bands. There's also an unusual house rule about how you earn a seat by the balcony rail instead of standing on the crowded floor below. Listen from that rail toward the old walled city, the same view that sold Manosalva on the place.