"Live the Cover!" Contest: Thailand

Great Travel Moment

Stepping back in time earlier this year, we visited the ancient city of Chan-Chan, Peru. Although the relatively modern town of Trujillo is virtually adjacent, time has not caught up the with long abandoned Chan-Chan. Fortunately, both archeological and restoration efforts are now underway. Initially, it seems as bleak a place as you can imagine, but as you look deeper and learn its history you see a sprawling former city with vast storage for provisions (in this life and the next), and other signs of a then-vital society. Were it not for signs of the high water table (eight feet below the surface) and the salt air from the Pacific Ocean you'd think you were hundreds of miles inland in a vast desert region. Access is easiest through the port of Salaverry.