Transport strikes are odd things, part terrorist disaster and part holiday.

We're now into the fourth day of Bogota's bus driver strike, and there are rumours that it's now drawing to a close. Of course, there have been very similar rumours circulating since the strike started; that's how the whole thing works. But after three full days of no buses being on the streets, and of course, no end of discussion about what's actually going on*, things have to end.

The strike has been received in wildy various ways. Of course, for the majority of people, who travel from the south of the city to work in the north, it's a disaster. Not being able to take a bus means queuing for hours to get onto a packed Transmilenio carrier, or otherwise staying at home and not getting paid.

On the other hand, it's been welcomed as an unforeseen holiday by teachers and students. It's like having several snow days in a row, where you'd love to go to school, oh, you really would, but you just can't. The teachers sit back and forget about their schedules for a few days, and so do the students. The smart ones might take the opportunity to catch up on their assignment deadlines, but clearly they're in the minority.

And throughout all of this, Bogota's streets are a paradise. It's so clear during days like this how much better the city is without buses; even if you can't get anywhere, the empty streets are almost dreamlike in their tranquility. It's like how the city is over Christmas, when almost everyone goes up to the coast, leaving the city with a skeleton crew of pedestrians.

For now, all one can do is await further news...


* I'm not going to say anything here about the reasons for the strike, or the justifications for it. I'll leave that to someone who has an idea about it.