Today I’m just sharing a photo with you that I took in front of “La Ricoletta” as the sun set over Sucre.
(17th July 2000)
Bolivia’s lithium reserves
September 20, 2009 By 1 Comment
Did you know that half of the world’s lithium reserves are in Bolivia? I discovered this little-known fact on the Radio 4 programme “From Our Own Correspondent”.
It may well be that Bolivia is sitting on a gold mine, with future technological developments requiring ever more lithium, there is talk of Bolivia having a similar role to play to that of Saudi Arabia in the oil industry. The question is: will the country benefit as a whole?
This is not the first time that Bolivia has been the main supplier of a particular commodity – much of the world’s silver originally came from the cerro rico in Potosí. It is said that during the time that Bolivia was a Spanish colony, enough silver was shipped back to Spain to build a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean! The colonial powers literally depleted the country of a rich resource, even using slave labour to remove the silver from the mines.
In recent years there have been discussions about the way contracts with neighbouring countries or multi-national companies were negotiated – often benefiting a few but not the population as a whole.
So will it be different with lithium? Are the salt flats of Uyuni in danger or being exploited? And are the people of Bolivia in danger of losing another precious resource?
Bolivian Restaurant in Germany
August 31, 2009 By 2 Comments
One of my favourite restaurants in Germany has moved, so this is a good opportunity to write about it. For the past 10 years I have been going to “Restaurant Latinoamérica” in Budenheim, just outside of Mainz. The restaurant has recently moved to Mainz-Finthen, where I visited it last week for the first time.
This family-run business offers specialities from Bolivia, that you are unlikely to find in many other restaurants in Germany. And it is a family from Bolivia that cooks and serves it! (I even met them once on a flight from Santa Cruz to Sucre).
One of our favourites has to be the Pique a lo Macho – spiced strips of beef with jalapeño slices, served on a bed of chips with salad. Be aware that one of the spices is locoto – which can be very hot.
Another good dish is the Aji de Pollo, aji being another spice which is made of ground red peppers and in this dish it is a sauce that the pollo (chicken) resides in. Pre-booked, even Salteñas can be ordered.
As a starter, we often have strips of deep-fried yuca, covered in melted cheese and served with a red dip called llajwa.
The restaurant also serves Bolivian wines, and a special type of schnaps called Singani, made from distilled grapes.
The new address is: El Latino, Borngasse 59, 55126 Mainz-Finthen. If you are going there on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening, then it is advisable to book a table in advance.
Opening Times
Wed & Thu 6pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat 6pm – 12am
Sun 12pm – 2pm & 5pm – 10pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Telephone: +49 (0) 6131 / 6693550
P.S. Don’t forget to say that you read about it on AmigosDeSucre!
