Amish Country, Pennsylvania -

Day two and we took a self guided drive through the rural byways near Lancaster to the Amish (pronounced Arm-ish) farming region, an area of about 20x 15 miles. We saw covered bridges, and the Amish people out driving their horse drawn buggys' (see photo left) dressed in their traditional garb of simple clothes that the first Amish settlers from Germany wore in the early 1700's. On a sad note 5 Amish schoolchildren were killed by a gunman in one of their schools in this area on 6 October this year.

It was a fascinating glimpse into another way of life for us all to see. The Amish are mainly farmers and very religious of course. They school their own children but only until 8th grade (about 12 years old) believing that is sufficient enough education. Many do not use electricity and most opt for the horse drawn buggy over a car. The girls and women all wear bonnets and when riding their bicycles they stand astride them on a special platform built on to the bike as to sit upon the seat is not deemed ladylike. The young boys wear straw hats and long black pants with suspenders. You can easily pick out the Amish homes and farms by the long strings of washing out flapping in the breeze hoisted metres above the ground. Americans in general as we have discovered don't possess washing lines, preferring instead to use dryers all year round whatever the weather and whatever the expense unlike us Kiwis.