Coca

We went to the Coca Museum the other day. It provides a very interesting perspective on coca. It has been chewed and used in tea since before Christ by the traditional Andean cultures. When used in its raw leaf form and chewed or used in tea its effects are very mild (probably less than a strong cup of coffee). As a matter of fact, it can provide large amounts of nutrients and is used medicinally for upset stomach and to relieve headaches due to altitude. I find it interesting that the US has spent 1.3 Billion to eradicate coca in Bolivia and that cocaine use by Bolivians is not really a big problem. To spend that kind of money to eradicate something of great cultural significance in a country thousands of miles from your border makes little sense. Take care of the problems inside your own borders. Of note is that the US has 5% of the world population yet consumes 50% of the world cocaine production. (Sorry for anti-US sentiment)
Here are a couple of links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca - Wikipedia page on coca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_eradication - Wikipedia page on coca eradication

During our trip to Oruro we went to the Restaurant Nayjama. Anyone who gets the chance to go, should. The food was great. The owner Chef Roberto sat and chatted with us on both our visits. He is an interesting fellow. He is a local man who trained at the Cordon Bleu school in Paris and has cooked all over the world for many celebrities. For example he worked in the Playboy Mansion for 3 years and was on the David Letterman show. His stories are great!

Cheers,
Todd