PORONGO, Bolivia — Mike Bennett came to Bolivia 18 years ago looking for gold. And he found it. But as he searched the nation for the precious metal, the 46-year-old geologist from Staffordshire, England, also uncovered other treasures — Spanish, which he speaks fluently, a farm, two hotels and a Bolivian bride, Brenda, to name a few.
Most surprising for him, though, was stumbling upon the position of mayor of Porongo, a village in southeast Bolivia.
Porongo locals, who affectionately call him "El Gringo," look up to him — not just because he's 2 meters tall, or that he's Bolivia's first overseas-born mayor. Bennett has brought to Bolivia a fresh look to politics.