Oooh which one is he gonna choose!
Whilst in England the humble guinea pig (cuy) is seen as a beloved pet, in Colombia they are food- food and fine athletes. In England we may bet on greyhounds and horses but here it's guinea pigs. On the pavements of the city centre its not uncommon to see a crowd of people gathered around a line of multicoloured upside down bowls with a hole cut out at the front and a huddle of nervous looking guinea pigs a few metres away. The 'race' starts with an over enthusiastic commentator urging people to bet on which bowl the guinea pig will run towards by placing money on top of the bowls. One of the creatures is then prompted to trot towards the bowls and whoever has money on the bowl the animal enters wins back 5 times their bet.
I can't say its the most thrilling sport to watch-mainly because guinea pigs are extremely slow and have no sense of direction. It is fun though watching a crowd of Colombians yelling encouragement and holding their breath as the animals decide which bowl to enter, and the screams of delight of the winners. Overall, a great way to spend a few pesos.
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