Spend a day on the bus

Today marked the beginning of the final stage of my trip. I met the chauffeur this morning at 6:45 and after a minor mix-up (he tried to take me to the airport instead of the bus station,) I boarded a bus for Puno.
Puno is on the western edge of Lake Titicaca, waaaaay up in the Peruvian altiplano. Puno is 10835 meters above sea level, 500 meters higher than Cusco. We crossed the border between the district of Cusco and Puno, the highest point on our journey.

I was kind of disappointed when I got on the bus this morning and had to pay an extra S./ 21 for entrance into the different archaeological sites along the route. I fully expected everything to be paid for on this trip, and it apparently wasn't. Then on arriving in Puno, the travel agent who met me at the bus stop asked for a voucher that showed I had paid for the trip to the uros and Sillustani. I asked my agent in Cusco last night if I needed anything like that and she said Yolanda would have it. I'm going to have a minor fit if I have to pay for tomorrow's excursions again...
Okay, so now that that's off my chest, this may possibly be the last post I write in Peru. The craziness of the trip is coming to a climax now, with tomorrow full of activities on Lake Titicaca and then the burial towers at Sillustani, an overnight bus trip back to Cusco, (arrival at 5am) then a flight back to Lima departing at 1:30. I'll have the afternoon in Lima and then a red eye flight back to the States.
Sorry for the boring reading. I'll try and update this post as time and energy allow.
Today was quite interesting, especially our stop in Raqchi. If I can get photos to upload, it will be a much better post.