If you go to Peru

CARAL, PERU: Ruins of a 5,000-year-old city, located about 120 miles from Lima; www.caralperu.gob.pe or www.peru.info.

GETTING THERE: The most comfortable option is to hire a private car through your hotel. Or rent a car for about $35 a day from Hertz, National or Budget at Lima's Jorge Chavez Airport and the San Isidro and Miraflores neighborhoods. For more intrepid and independent travelers, buses cost around $5 for a three-hour trip from Lima to Huacho, Supe or Barranca; from there, hire a taxi to the ruins for about $10.

ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR CARAL: Hotel Centenario in Huacho (phone 011-51-1-232-3731); doubles, $20, including continental breakfast. Hotel Chavin, in Barranca, (011-51-1-235-2358); doubles, $25. Hotel Continental, in Barranca (011-51-1-235-2458); doubles, $12.