Railway station (Oruro, Bolivia)
February 2008
“The Southern express” is comfortable, cosy chairs dispose to rest, fans are buzzing, and TV shows natural beauties of Bolivia. In between, the passengers were entertained by pop-group recordings, several times they repeated the hit of «Boney M» “Rasputin, love machine” something of Russia with the background of altiplano landscapes.
Near to the railway station there is a small market of musical instruments. Here you can buy a folk guitar charango, made of armadillo shell.
Bolivian armadillos are on the verge of extinction because of massive destruction of these mammals with the purpose to use their shells and other parts for carnival costumes, in “medical” potions of medicine men and souvenirs.
Don't buy such Bolivian souvenirs!