The excavation of this site is still underway and expected to take another 50 years at least. Our guide stated that prior to 1960, it was simply a large dirt hill and was even the site for motocross racing events until the ruins were discovered below the soil. Analysis shows that there are still many tombs below the walking paths that have not yet been uncovered.

The site was made with adobe bricks that were formed by hand. Each brick still shows ridges made from the fingers of the brick maker, with hand prints clearly visible on many bricks. The site took several hundred years to reach its maximum size.

Today we will be leaving Lima and flying to Cusco, where the 11,200 foot altitude will likely bring some altitude sickness for a day or two. From Cusco we’ll head to Machu Picchu next week.

Food and drinks have been great so far, and the people of Lima have been friendly. We’ve been using a hand cart to haul groceries from a store several blocks away as needed.

With Nicki’s flight from LA being cancelled and her group’s arrival delayed a day, Deb and I spent our first full day in Lima, Peru, walking around the Miraflores area.

We didn’t have a rental car, but that’s probably a good thing. Driving in Detroit or on I-696 does not prepare one for the very fast-pace of Lima’s traffic. Drivers here use their horns as a courtesy signal to others, so there’s a continual cacophony of short horn blasts.

Being Americans, we have to learn to live without a thermostat. There is no heat nor AC in the house, since temperatures range from mid 50s to mid 80s throughout the year. You simply dress appropriately, so we’re wearing jackets in the house, as the morning temps are in the low 60s.

Now that Nicki, Anthony and his mother Bari have arrived, we’ll be exploring the local area much more, and I’ll post updates more frequently.