I HAD LONG DREAMT OF A TRIP ACROSS THE HEART OF South America, ever since learning Spanish during a year living in Seville as a student. I particularly liked the idea of being able to communicate with the local people I’d meet along the way. While in Bolivia, between visiting Peru and Argentina, I went almost everywhere by bus. That gave me a great chance to spend time with the locals. The buses were always packed and I enjoyed the atmosphere, with a man or woman often hanging from the door and yelling where the bus would head to next.