I have to admit, ‘beer and gunpowder’ doesn’t sound like a safe combination, but they’re the essentials of “tejo”, Colombia’s national sport. Modern tejo is based on a game that was probably developed already in the pre-Columbian period in Boyacá, near Bogotá. It’s bowling, jeu de boules, clay pigeon shooting and a drinking game combined. That’s why tejo is undoubtedly the best game ever for grown-ups!
Tejo hall
It starts well: when you enter the tejo hall, you have to order drinks first (minimum is one crate of beer). The hall looks like a bowling-hall, with firm nets at both sides of the alleys of about 20 metres. And these nets are definitely necessary, because you switch sides after throwing (and your beer drinking neighbours will do the same). After a couple of beers, the game starts.
The tejo-hall 
Special place in the bench for your crate of beer
How to play tejo
You throw a heavy metal disk (the ‘tejo’) at one end of the playing lane, towards a 1 by 1 meter squared board covered with clay, home to small envelopes filled with gunpowder (‘mechas’) and a circle (‘bocin’). If you hit one of the envelopes, it will explode with a loud BOOM!
The “tejo” 
The gun powder is in the pink envelopes
Score:
1 point for the tejo that’s closest to the bocin;
3 points for every player that explodes a mecha.
6 points if the tejo has impacted inside the bocin;
9 points for the tejo that explodes a macha and sticks inside the bocin.
It’s very noisy inside the tejo-hall because of the explosions of the gunpowder and the laughing of people when a player completely fails.
Where?
There are special tejo-playhalls to play tejo. We played tejo at Club de Tejo La 76 in Bogotá. Often you can play for free, only pay for your drinks.
You can’t miss playing tejo for a few hours in Bogotá! It’s so much fun! Why does this game only exist in Colombia!?
Throwing the tejo 
After the throw you have to tamp the clay
Rather play a game that you can play at home and that’s more relaxed, please read my blog post about the 5 best board games.
Would you like to know more about travelling in Colombia, take a look at my 3 weeks round trip in Colombia here. The blog about the hike in Tayrona NP in the north of Colombia is here. I will post a lot more about my round trip in Colombia soon. You can find more travel inspiration for other destinations in Latin America via this link.
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