Our guests this weekend

This is Bulldozer and Original (not Sexy as originally reported) from Batu Pahat Full Moon H3 - which is which is not important (although as a clue, neither of them have tails or droopy earlobes).

Seem like our sort of people, although there is still this lingering worry about the possibility of at least one of them, who shall remain nameless (even though her hash name is Original) not drinking beer. But no doubt that can all be sorted out when they and another 38 or so of their fellow hashers from Batu Pahat, join us this Saturday for what promises to be a great afternoon's running, drinking and eating with the possibility of some late night revelry to follow, as Opera (alias Foghorny) is also joining the run, and he seems to be into that sort of thing.

Details of the run are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1639, Saturday November 3rd, 2012, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: R2D2 and Egghead
Misdiretions: From the Kao Saeng intersection take the old Yala road for about 4k and turn right after the army base. Follow the road for about 1k, (bearing left before reaching the back gates of the Gor Sor Nor) to the run site as close to the reservoir as possible.
The hares are promising two classic runs in some of our most scenic countryside and in all this excitement over the visitors, let us not forget that the hares will both be celebrating their birthdays either on or shortly after Saturday. So please try and come along, and remember that the run will start at 4:00 p.m.

Hatyai H3's run this Sunday is being set by Kii Leum/Leum Kii with female assistance, the identity of which was still in some doubt when last the matter was discussed. The most likely location seems to be the community center behind the CP factory just off the old Hatyai road at about 6k past Ko Yo, on the right. Further details will be made available as and when they are forthcoming, but don't forget that the HH3 run will also start at 4:00 p.m.

Full Moon Hash 91

Initial reports suggest that full moon 91 was well received by the cognoscenti. 6.4k or thereabouts and somehow achieving a maximum elevation of 96 meters, a sizeable pack managed not to realize that they were doing the SH3 relay hare run in reverse. Hares, Full Moon and Moo Sahb were reduced to horizontality by the experience of laying the run, which notable took almost 3 hours. Good turn out though, which bodes well for the future of Full Moon Hash which might have been in some doubt. Could this be the dawning of a new age for Songkhla Hashing? Batu Pahat Full Moon H3? Bring 'em on!

Nightmare on Haloweeneen

Yes, it's full moon time again and this month it happens to coincide with the well known festival of Halloweeneen, or for the traditional Celts among us, Samhaineen. To celebrate this incredible coincidence those two well known witches, Only a Yolk and Peppered Pussy will be mounting their broomsticks, magically metamorphising into Moo Sahb and Full Moon, and setting:

Hatyai Full Moon H3 run # 91, Tuesday, 30th October, 2012: 7:00 p.m.
Hares: Moo Sahb and Full Moon (with a full supporting cast of Cannines)
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left for 6k, then right for about 500 meters, following paper or signs into the run site last used for the SH3 relay hare run two weeks ago.

Usual stuff applies: Bring a handlight and some food if you feel like it. Beer optional or buy full moon special brew at 3 cans for 100 Baht.

The run in the afternoon after the morning after the night before

Get the picture? So what better cure for that overdid it ever so slightly feeling than a run this afternoon with those nice people from Hatyai Hash who had us out so late at our birthday party last night.
Directions from Songkhla are:
From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 6k then left (at the Bahn Ta Kham intersection) for 1.5k then right for about 300 meters to the run site at the big sala (Sala Hin Kiang?).
Coming from Hatyai? take Poonakan to Wat Keow Kloy then turn left for about 1k and take the first turning on the right*. Follow the road for about 1.5k to the Sala on the right. (*If you miss the turning just carry on to the crossroads at Bahn Ta Kham and turn right for 1.5k then right for 300 meters).

As exclusively revealed below, SH3's birthday run this year will take place at the Thung Jaeng Restaurant on the  new Yala road, about 9k beyond the Ko Yo intersection, on the right, or if you are coming from the old Yala road end, about 2k from the An Thong intersection, on the left. 

The run format is believed to be A-B-C and luxury transportation will be leaving the restaurant  for both the A (long run) and B (short run) sites at 3:30 p.m. so don't be late! The runs will both end at the restaurant, which is the C site and once the first runners are back, there will be free beer and wine as well as dinner and entertainment which will follow the circle, expected to occur at about 6:00 p.m. 

All named SH3 and HH3 runners will be charged the normal run fee of 60 Baht and guests will be charged 250 Baht for the run, food and booze but will have to take their chances on the T shirt front. Oooooops! What a give away!

Official details are:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1638, Saturday, October 27th 2012, 3:30 p.m.
Hares: Sex Sprinter and Only a Yolk
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for 9k to the run site on the right.

Too early for any news of HH3's run next week, but details will be posted as and when they are forthcoming. However, their starting time will be moving to 4:00 p.m. from this weekend as will SH3's next weekend since, in case you hadn't noticed, the rainy season is upon us!

1637: mostly normal with patches of madness

Laid on Friday afternoon between deluges, after a single recce the previous day, which took a rather more confrontational position vis-a-vis Kao Wong,  if it is remembered at all our memories of 1637 will probably consist of a blurred image of a downhill slide after the 5th check culminating in a banana patch followed by a swamp, which was hurriedly inserted to avoid the confrontation with the hill which had occurred on the recce, and perhaps some confusion about the in-trail which only Kii Leum can explain! Otherwise, there was plenty of familiar running for the fit and willing and a nice view as you came back from the 2nd F. The distance was recorded at  6.3k, probably a bit more if you did all the F's, with the top point being a modest 140m at the view point and a total ascent in the low 200's. Low point was the balance between hares (5) and hounds (5) on the long trail. But there were 7 short runners; are we missing something here? (Gan Yao is not allowed to comment on this in case he tells the truth!)
On on! to the birthday run, next week which is at the Thung Jaeng Restaurant (new Yala road, 9k on the right); be there at 3:30 p.m. for transport to the A site and a run which starts at 4:00 p.m. Regular SH3/HH3 runners 60 Baht; guests etc.make a case and be charged accordingly!

Normality?

This week's run sees some sort of normality resumed at SH3 after all that innovation last weekend. Details are:
SH3 run #1637, Saturday October 20th, 2012, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Kii Leum and Egghead
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left for 6k then turn left towards the water tower and left after 100 meters into the runsite.
Hatyai H3 on Sunday (October 21st) will be running near the Gamling Reservoir about 9k down Poonakan (From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left for 8k, then right at (Wat Keow Kloy ) for about 9k and look for a sign on the left)and the hares will be Sex Star and Sexy Girl. Map below if it helps.

How did it work out?

Well, opinions may differ on these things but those available for comment today at the much reduced Hatyai Hash seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed it and the fact that we got 14 runners going round an almost 7k trail which disregarding the 10 minute start for the first hare took 1 hour 40 to complete, and that those 14 included not only regular long runners, but also the short run as well as Kan Kai, Tata and Spotted Dick, speaks for itself. Lots of room to criticize the organisation and execution - as always nothing is perfect, but we didn't lose anyone, the whole pack got in more or less together, and the run, even allowing for the final hare's problem with finding the run site looks much like one of our normal runs.
If nothing else it proved that the format is viable and certainly worth another shot sometime soon.

HH3 on Sunday

Here is this week's HH3 map, helpfully annotated with (right pointing) arrows for those coming from Songkhla, the turn off point from the Old Hatyai road being that at 4.7k and the distance to the runsite from there being 9k.
If you are coming from Hatyai, the Poonakan route is marked, but equally possible is a right turn at the Nam Noi traffic lights, then 7k, then right at Ta Kham for 3k.

Geddit?

 

With a number of regular runners otherwise engaged this weekend and a semi-official HH3 trip to Sarat Buri taking place, this seems like an ideal time to have another try at something a bit different - a relay hare run. OK, so the last time we tried it back at our birthday run 3 years ago, it didn't work too well, but with a smaller pack and a friendlier piece of country, it's worth another shot.

So, the idea is that the runners present will draw lots and the winner will get a bag of paper and a GPS and will set off from the run site with a start of 10 minutes. The hare can set one normal check, but at their second check, they don't lay any more paper, but hide, and the check is broken when they are found. 

The person doing the finding then becomes the hare, takes over the paper and the GPS and sets off with 5 minutes start. Each succeeding hare gets 2 checks before hiding and giving up the bag of paper unless they get caught in which case they give up the paper immediately. 

Hopefully everyone knows how to read the GPS which will be automatically programmed to show the direction back to the run site . The 5 minute breaks between hares should allow both our normal long and short runners to take part and be involved and the idea will be to keep the run within reasonable bounds while allowing 4 or 5 different people to act as hare.

If you are in town please come along and give it a try as if this works it could be something we can do from time to time to liven up the proceedings as well as reducing the strain on the hareline!

The run details are :

SH3 run #1636, Saturday October 13th, 2012

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection, take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left for 6k, then right for about 300 meters and follow paper/signs to the run site.

No details at present of the HH3 run this weekend, but they will be posted/sent on later.

Today's HH3 run

Stats: 7km long, 350m ascent, 217m at its highest. The highlight was half a kilometer of fairly primeval stream bed, which at least one hasher (Mii the Dog) refused to descend. A bit of drama was added by rain and impending darkness before everyone got back. But only one runner really went missing, and even he reappeared not long after dark, by which time about four search and rescue people were still out and unaccounted for. The long-run hare PO'ed early, claiming some sort of excuse. Bogus, but it beats sitting on ice on a cold dark evening . . . if there was even a circle?

The run that didn't eat Ding Dang

Scant details available of Saturday's Kii Leum-Only a Yolk run, which seems to have been less than 6k and took about 1 hour 10 minutes for the super fit, and a minute or so less for the also rans. The top point was recorded as 221 meters but no reliable total ascent is available. The short run was recorded at a miserly 2k but apparently took 40 minutes to complete.

Meanwhile Ding Dang is reported to be in therapy after narrowly escaping the gorge of death this (Sunday) afternoon and being transported back to the run site by a rubber tapper, while rescue teams were still out hoping to find him. No doubt the hare will give us the gory details before he departs for his 2 month sojourn in Hand Job territory.

Redirections for Today's HH3 run

The involuntary editing of the directions originally posted below has been corrected, but just to stress that directions to today's HH3 run site are:
From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left for 8k, then right at Wat Keow Kloy for 7.5k into Th. Poonakan, then turn left towards Ban Nai Rai. Go 3.5k and turn left, then go 350 meters along the new asphalt road to the run site on the left.

Kii Leum takes control

After being overruled by co-hare, Only a Yolk about this week's SH3 runsite, Kii Leum has now stamped his authority on the run and is reported to have been completely responsible for deciding that he will carry the paper-bag tomorrow when it is laid. He has also firmly decided that he will force Only a Yolk to tell him where to go, and will have none of this "it's up to you" faffing about. Happily, of course the run has been comprehensively recce'd and Kii Leu left nothing to chance by insisting that OaY had complete control of the GPS during the recce and gave clear and unequivocal directions based on the pre-loaded track, which he followed decisively.

Details of the resulting run are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1635. Saturday October 6, 2012: 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Kii Leum and Only a Yolk
Misdirections: from the Ko Yo intersection take the new Hatyai road for 8k and turn left into the run site adjacent to the erection formerly known as the DTAC Tower but latterly referred to as Gordon's Folly.

Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Beavershot a.k.a. Sex Focus, and Sex Star.
Directions are: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left for 8k, then right at Wat Keow Kloy for 7.5k into Th. Punnakan, then turn left towards Ban Nai Rai. Go 3.5k and turn left, then go 350 meters along the new asphalt road to the run site on the left.

Mars Rover Discovers Proof of Water on Mars

Age Old Question Answered - yes he does!!!

The bear essentials

Ok, Anonymous, you asked for it..

An early arrival at the run site, the bear gets stuck into the Leo...

...then decides to join the run but unfortunately heads off in the wrong direction towards....

... the big tree and fails to bear left (or right!)