The Chiva

We had quite an initiation into our Christmas in Bogota with Angela and her family.  Having arrived to a lovely welcome of wine and a house full of merry people, we were invited to join another 50 family members or so in the evening on a tour of the city's Christmas lights on a 'chiva'. 

A chiva is an open-sided colourful bus that looks a bit like a tram, with some seats and an area in the middle for dancing, with poles and roof bars to cling on to.  Angela's family had hired it out for the evening. We had been warned in advance that the family is quite lively and that a couple of the uncles like to make sure the drink is flowing. As soon as we were pulled up onto the crammed bus we were offered shots of either aguardiente (aniseed spirit), whisky or rum and this went on all night.  With music blaring out and an increasingly raucaous atmosphere within, we made our way around Bogota, stopping at different squares to see the lights and nativity scenes (which are a must in every house, village and town). The weather was a bit too English for our liking - raining and chilly - but it didn't stop hundreds of families turning out to walk around the lights. It was a lovely, alternative Christmas atmosphere.  

Back on the chiva, our heads were increasingly spinning as the aguardiente kicked in and we were encouraged to learn some ambitious Colombian dance moves as the bus charged around the streets. Simon fared better than me as he seems to have mastered a shoulder and hip wiggle that impressed the aunties. I hadn't and so became the centre of the bus' attention until I could wiggle my shoulders leaning backwards whilst clinging to a pole.  The rowdier the better is definitely the approach to the chiva, any time we went past squares filled with people we were encouraged to hang out of the bus and cheer. It had also been the final of the Colombian football league that night, and so mutual cheering to football fans was also a must.

After several hours of this, the chiva tour came to an end and about 30 of us piled into Angela's brother's apartment for a hot version of the aguardiente.  It was a fantastic and hilarious way to start our Christmas here.  We fell into a lovely, comfy bed exhausted at about 2.30.