By Lorraine Caputo: In Central America, you ask a local where you can catch a bus to where you want to go. You never know where you end up—at a station or a street corner to catch it. In Mexico, many times the distinction between 1st and 2nd class is whether sacks of grain, critters, or people standing in the aisles is allowed. No such distinction exists in Central America . . . or so it seems. Next to me, a man holds a basket. Within, the chickens’ clawing of wicker fills the void between...

By Lorraine Caputo: The Bananero stands, right hand on hip, momentarily taking a rest from his work, a racimo of yellow-green bananas...