Three large windows down the side of the bus. At the top of each are usually three words proclaiming Confort - Elegancia - Securitad, or variations on a theme: sometimes it is Elegancia - Tourismo - Adventura.
Today is the third day of a transport strike sparked of by a raise in fares, so these colourful and eccentric (if a little smokey) busses, so much a part of daily life in Cochabamba, are absent from the streets.
In thier place are thousands of protesters, some marching in opposition to the fare increases, others, presumably the transport workers, marching to support them.
The multiple burst fire crackers (effectively a hand-held mortar) resound and echo through the curiously quiet (and slightly less polluted) streets of Cochabamba, as the blockades cut off key access points to the city — bridges etc — and turn it into a de facto island.
This was supposed to have been a one day strike on Wednesday, but due to confrontations, and damage to the transport workers´buildings, the situation has escalated.
But soon though, perhaps even as early as tomorrow, we can all travel once more in comfort, elegance, and with security.
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