Road to Brasilia

When I was in Barra do Bugres this last time, I put a lot of effort into finding old friends from my Peace Corps years. Many had passed on, of course, and two, who were extremely wealthy in the 1970s, had died in poverty due to poor life and business choices.

During this last visit, almost every morning I passed a gas station a half-block from where I was living. I always saw an older gentleman si...