We stopped for lunch at a restaurant along the highway. There were lots of nice flowers lining the sidewalk leading to the restaurant.
The weather changes rapidly in the mountains. One minute it is cloudy and raining and the next it is pure blue skies. 
We took some time to enjoy the views and shop a little as we reached Abra La Raya Pass. The altitude here was 4,335 meters or 14,550 feet above sea level. This is about 400 feet higher than Pikes Peak in Colorado. This is a new altitude record for Sigrid and me with feet on the ground. 
The SSHH on the building indicates that it is a restroom if you don't mind a little hike. 
Little cemeteries like this one are on the outskirts of each town. 
We took a short break in another small town on the way to Puno. When you see a photo like the one below, we usually paid the person for allowing us to take the photo. Sometimes people will ask you to take their photo so they can make money. This is probably a significant source of income for some of them. The going rate is about one Sol or 37 cents U.S. We were happy to pay. 
We arrived in Juliaca just about dusk. It looked like they had just gotten heavy rains. The roads were extremely rough. Juliaca is the city that we will return to for our flight back to Lima. Puno is in the mountains and it is not practical to build an airport there. 
It was dark by the time we reached Puno. The Hotel Libertador Puno is on the shores of Esteves Island on Lake Titicaca. This photo was taken from our hotel room and is of downtown Puno. 
Day 9 is next. 
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