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I had planned a museum-fest in the 3 hours between opening time and our departure to Uyuni at lunchtime, but Independence Day sees all museums closed and replaced by a parade in front of the presidential palace - all high goose-stepping and brass band pomp.
Apparently El Presidente was in Sucre, but we were still treated to awning-ed dignitaries and military men taking the salute while the square filled with watchers and food vendors intent on making a day of it.
It was hard to tear ourselves away, but there was a textile outlet that sold by the yard we were keen to review, having discovered it last night, and with nighttime not being the best light conditions to determine colour under, we had decoded to wait until today to have a rummage.
Sadly, the owners had taken the commercially baffling decision to close for the public holiday ... did they not know the Halls were in the area?
Our taxi to Oruro to catch the train to Uyuni arrived on the stroke of noon and delivered us without incident to the train station in Oruro - thank you Luis! We checked our luggage into the commercial left luggage facility on the station forecourt and checked it put again six and a half minutes later when the station-master bade us leave it in his tender care while we frittered away the time to departure by looking around the Oruro Independence Day market, which was pretty sad.
The train waddled off on time with the TV blaring out the Need for Speed film - a film based on a game franchise - dreadful, but not unexpectedly so.
We arrived in Uyuni to find the streets deserted and what liked like a picket-line on guard against interlopers at the edge of town. A few minutes walk took us to our hotel which had small rooms off a large central atrium running the length of the building - very strange IMHO. However, many things appear unexpectedly strange at 03.00!
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