Wow! What an amazing trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write this. It brought back a lot of great memories of my backpacking trip through Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia last year. I wanted to go to Bolivia really bad but I was traveling north. I love the quirky hostels along the way and the crazy bus rides that are really an adventure. I agree with the first class feeling claustrophobic with the low seats since I decided to pay extra from Peru to Ecuador. Did you feel safe on those busses? Theft was a big thing in Ecuador, I'd imagine the same for Bolivia?