checked out.”
“I’ll be finished in a minute.”
Lynn watched him leave the restaurant. He was dressed simply, in jeans and a black sweatshirt. His white hat lay on his back, the cord around his neck, revealing black, curly hair. He was quite handsome. When she turned back, she saw the others smiling at her.
“Did you have coffee or tea?” she asked them.
“Tea!”
“Coffee!”
They held up their cups . Sharon lifted hers as a salute, which made Lynn blush again. She had to stop blushing! There was absolutely nothing to blush about!
<><><><>
Lynn insisted on getting on the bus without help when they boarded for Caral. Alex’s smile included some amusement this time. He was obviously pleased that she was feeling more rested and eager to explore the Caral ruins. In sunshine!
They went miles and miles within Lima . Lynn was used to driving in big cities, but she’d never driven in one this big—and never would! More than eight million people lived in the Lima Province.
T hey were still under cloud cover and engulfed in fog, with the temperature in the low 60s, just as it had been yesterday. They passed hundreds of small, poorly constructed houses on the hillsides that looked as if a strong wind would send them sliding down to the road. Most had sheets of cloth covering the windows. Crumbling roofs and walls often went unrepaired. On some roofs, clotheslines had been strung with clothes hanging there to dry, collecting the dirt and exhaust that covered everything in the city. Stray dogs wandered everywhere, but very few people were evident. Lynn assumed most of the people were at work, and the children in school. How crowded would all these houses be after work hours? She could see from remnants of paint that the buildings had once been painted bright colors, but it was obvious the paint had worn really thin in the foggy winter climate.
After an hour and a half, t he bus stopped for a restroom break. The restrooms weren’t in a business, though. They were in a low, worn building of their own, with a man standing guard over the entrances. Alex paid the man so they could use the facilities. Lynn had read that tourists should bring tissue with them because the bathrooms might not have any.
Back on the bus, Lynn whispered to Sharon, “That’s the first time I’ve seen toilets without seats!”
“Me, too. Remind me to re-stock my purse with tissue!”
As they got closer to Caral, they began to see patches of green that looked like moss. Lynn took a deep breath and realized what a relief it was to see something other than brown. Vegetation increased the farther they traveled from the city. Eventually, they were driving past cultivated fields in valleys, surrounded by desert-like terrain. A river ran down the center of the valley, providing water for crops, but only for a short distance into the dry land beyond. They also passed chicken farms with adobe fences, then barreled up a road that was so rough they bounced in their seats! It was impossible to take pictures through the windows because of the speed of the bus and the bouncing they did over the ruts in the dirt roads. But a miracle had occurred! They’d climbed out of the fog. Sunshine at last!
Chapter 7
C loser to Caral, Lynn saw a man walking in a field that seemed to be planted with two different crops. There were cows on one side of the dividing line, but not on the other side. The man had a long stick in his hand, which he waved at any of the cows that turned as though intending to cross the line. She wondered if he walked back and forth all day long, keeping the cows out of the other crop? They passed so quickly, she didn’t have time to ask Alex, who was talking about something else on the other side of the bus.
Lynn realized she’d “woken up” from her slump and actually felt like smiling again, without having to encourage herself to do it. The bus parked near some buildings that looked like a long, curved market, but there were
“I’ll be finished in a minute.”
Lynn watched him leave the restaurant. He was dressed simply, in jeans and a black sweatshirt. His white hat lay on his back, the cord around his neck, revealing black, curly hair. He was quite handsome. When she turned back, she saw the others smiling at her.
“Did you have coffee or tea?” she asked them.
“Tea!”
“Coffee!”
They held up their cups . Sharon lifted hers as a salute, which made Lynn blush again. She had to stop blushing! There was absolutely nothing to blush about!
<><><><>
Lynn insisted on getting on the bus without help when they boarded for Caral. Alex’s smile included some amusement this time. He was obviously pleased that she was feeling more rested and eager to explore the Caral ruins. In sunshine!
They went miles and miles within Lima . Lynn was used to driving in big cities, but she’d never driven in one this big—and never would! More than eight million people lived in the Lima Province.
T hey were still under cloud cover and engulfed in fog, with the temperature in the low 60s, just as it had been yesterday. They passed hundreds of small, poorly constructed houses on the hillsides that looked as if a strong wind would send them sliding down to the road. Most had sheets of cloth covering the windows. Crumbling roofs and walls often went unrepaired. On some roofs, clotheslines had been strung with clothes hanging there to dry, collecting the dirt and exhaust that covered everything in the city. Stray dogs wandered everywhere, but very few people were evident. Lynn assumed most of the people were at work, and the children in school. How crowded would all these houses be after work hours? She could see from remnants of paint that the buildings had once been painted bright colors, but it was obvious the paint had worn really thin in the foggy winter climate.
After an hour and a half, t he bus stopped for a restroom break. The restrooms weren’t in a business, though. They were in a low, worn building of their own, with a man standing guard over the entrances. Alex paid the man so they could use the facilities. Lynn had read that tourists should bring tissue with them because the bathrooms might not have any.
Back on the bus, Lynn whispered to Sharon, “That’s the first time I’ve seen toilets without seats!”
“Me, too. Remind me to re-stock my purse with tissue!”
As they got closer to Caral, they began to see patches of green that looked like moss. Lynn took a deep breath and realized what a relief it was to see something other than brown. Vegetation increased the farther they traveled from the city. Eventually, they were driving past cultivated fields in valleys, surrounded by desert-like terrain. A river ran down the center of the valley, providing water for crops, but only for a short distance into the dry land beyond. They also passed chicken farms with adobe fences, then barreled up a road that was so rough they bounced in their seats! It was impossible to take pictures through the windows because of the speed of the bus and the bouncing they did over the ruts in the dirt roads. But a miracle had occurred! They’d climbed out of the fog. Sunshine at last!
Chapter 7
C loser to Caral, Lynn saw a man walking in a field that seemed to be planted with two different crops. There were cows on one side of the dividing line, but not on the other side. The man had a long stick in his hand, which he waved at any of the cows that turned as though intending to cross the line. She wondered if he walked back and forth all day long, keeping the cows out of the other crop? They passed so quickly, she didn’t have time to ask Alex, who was talking about something else on the other side of the bus.
Lynn realized she’d “woken up” from her slump and actually felt like smiling again, without having to encourage herself to do it. The bus parked near some buildings that looked like a long, curved market, but there were
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