We run out of gas with Uyuni less than a mile away. Angel climbs up to siphon gas out of the tanks on the roof while Mercedes laughs.

The town of Uyuni isn't as bad as I'd heard, but it's probably different when arriving by bus with tour operators waiting to attack. We visit the Train Graveyard, the last official sight on the tour. There is some sort of market going on in town, as well as a loud and very cute children's party.

We'd hoped to take the Todo Turismo bus back to La Paz—a fancy bus for $25 that actually provides meals AND heat for the 11-hour ride. At the office we receive a nasty surprise—on Wednesday, while we were out of contact, road blocks had sprung up around the country. Blockades seem to be the preferred method of protest in Bolivia; two major routes are currently being blocked, one of which leads out of Uyuni.

We are on such a tight schedule we need to consider the awful option of taking a bus to Potosi, another bus to Sucre, and scrambling to buy a flight back to La Paz from there. By some miracle, The Wara Wara del Sur train company adds service just for that day to combat the bloqueo. We could reach Oruro, do our best to relax there, and then whenever the bloqueos are lifted, take one of the frequent buses from Oruro to La Paz.

The train graveyard

The very nice Todo Turismo clerk allows us to store our backpacks at the office, use their bathroom, then walks us to the train station. This is enough to convince me they would be a great company to travel with—he certainly doesn't owe us anything.

Train tickets are ridiculously cheap—only 45Bs for first class! Maybe this is a special price for the blockades? Seems pretty low for a 9-hour train ride.

We kill time at the closest internet café and are surprised to see Monica, Brendan and Michael already there! The rest of their group went back to Tupiza with their driver. We discuss our options—they are holding out for a bus to Potosi tonight but we've heard those are now cancelled. They remain optimistic.

Gilles and Sonia decide to stay the night in Uyuni. They have a few weeks left in Bolivia and are in no hurry...plus it's pretty obvious by now they need alone-time. The rest of us go to Pastipizza next door, which is definitely the same as the one in Tupiza. I had learned my lesson about the pasta, and am very satisfied with the garlic & chorizo pizza we get.

When the ticket window at the train station appears closed, Monica, Brendan and Michael give up and stay the night in Uyuni...the more they consider beds and showers the more they realize they aren't ready for traveling again.

The train is amazing for $5.50, and would be a bargain at double price. We get heavy blankets PLUS heat, deep-reclining seats, hot tea, egg sandwiches and a movie. Unfortunately it's "Dr. Doolittle 3" (I had no idea there was a "3"), but it's passably entertaining. Before the movie starts, the same bizarre "Musica Nacional" DVD we'd seen for hours in Torotoro plays. Haunting.

By some miracle, when we arrive in Oruro at 5:45 AM we find out from our taxi driver the blockades were lifted during late-night negotiations and head out to the bus station immediately. However, while the political protesters and miners stood down, the farmers didn't get the memo. One more bloqueo later, doubling the usually 2.5-hour bus ride, we arrive in La Paz more or less on schedule.

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