We drove for several hours and along the way I saw many things that were new to me.

Did you know that people here do not have many things like we do in St. Croix. They have food, shelter, clothing, animals and each other. Some people have cars, some do not. Some people have TV's some do not. Sometimes when building a house they use the things that they find from the earth, like: mud, grass and stones. This house has a fence made out of stones. That must have been a lot of work!

I also saw ancient ruins - buildings left behind by people hundreds of years ago.

I got out of the car to stretch my legs and bumped into some friendly animals. These cows told me they have long hair to keep them warm in the cold climate. Imagine that! A cow with long hair.

These sheep were very friendly. We hung out on this hillside eating grass. Well, no grass for me. Blek! They told me Indians love to use their wool to make warm clothes. They use some of the plants found on the hillside to die the wool different colors.

We met a friendly Police Officer along the way - so we took a picture together. Does he look like Police Officers in St. Croix?

Soon we entered the town of Juliaca! This is right next to Lake Titicaca. This is a large lake that boarders Bolivia and Peru. Lake Titicaca is 22,400 square miles. That means you can fit 270 St. Croix islands inside Lake Titicaca. Boy was it big! In the nearby town of Juliaca I saw a store that sold all sizes of pots. People here must really need all kinds of pots.

I also saw a bicycle taxi! A person peddles a bike that has a seat in front of it. The seat is big enough for 2 people. This lady had a large bag of rice and needed help carrying it home. She paid this taxi to give her a lift. I like her hat. Many women in this part of Peru wear hats like this.

I saw an ice cream cart. School children like to buy ice cream after school. Do you see the school girl in the background? She has a uniform. All school children uniforms in Peru.

On Tuesday it was time to head back to Cusco and catch a plane back to Lima, Sandra's home. We were very surprised to find a transportation strike. People were marching in the street and very upset.

The police were ready incase there was a fight.

I was afraid! I was afraid of angry strangers and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get a plane back home. Luckily, Sandra and her daughters took care of me.

We found a police officer to drive us safely to the airport. Thank you Mr. Police Officer!

I don't know what is going to happen next. I'll write more later.

I miss you first grade!

Spike