Best by a whisker

Clocking in at just over 6k, Sex Sprinter and Buk Toy's long run on Saturday probably just shaded the best of the weekend award, lacking as it did the pure raw pain production power of Beaver's Sunday outing, despite two major ascents, one of which caused even the 4-legged hounds some minor problems at the top. But the views were almost as spectacular and the final descent just about as precipitous. That said, the hill which is not without its problems from a hares point of view, produced two excellent runs this weekend along with about 1000 meters of ascent and some sore muscles this morning!
No track available for the Superpig/Squealer short run, set without the guiding hand of a GPS. Use our imagination!

Better late than never

Here, on the better late than never principle are last weekend but one's three runs in celebration of the pussy's birthdays, long run (green) and short run (blue) on the left and full moon run (red) on the right. Respectively 5.8, 3.9 and 5.6k all in, the two longer runs probably reduced to about 5k each with the deduction of the F's and X's. Other details are lost in the mists of time!

A run up the ravine

Click to see it BIG!

The GPS track tells the story: today's HH3 run was up one side of the ravine, the hard way, and then back down the easy way, i.e. the main trail. At the far end were some nice new rubber terraces that I hope provided some proper running, and some good views too. But this is being written at 2 pm. so who knows what will happen?

Length was just a hair short of 7km. Total ascent, a generous 555m. The highest point, at the false trail at the top of this map, was 248m. It took exactly three hours to set and, crossing my fingers here, say about 1:20 to run?

Map for Sunday's run

Herewith, just in case Jim doesn't do a proper one, an exceptionally quick and nasty map to Sunday's runsite. HH3 regulars will recognize this as the site of a rather painful run by Robocop last month. Sunday's hare will try to make it a little more enjoyable. Without fear of overselling it, I think I can safely say it's a run not quite like any other we've ever done.

From Songkhla, take the Old Hatyai Rd. to 150m before the Nam Noi traffic lights. Turn right into the small dirt road between Nam Noi School and Nam Noi Wat. Go about 1.2km to the runsite on the left.

If that rather steep and deeply rutted road frightens your car (it frightens mine), then you can just turn right at the traffic light and take the main Nam Noi road for about 1km, to the little triangle of market stalls in the middle of the road. Turn right into the small lane along the right side of the wat. Go a couple hundred meters, keeping straight where the road turns to dirt, and you'll see the runsite immediately on your right.

Alternatively (am I sounding like Egghead yet?) you could take the New Hatyai Road from Songkhla, turning left just after R2D2 Tower and the hill. Wind your way down that road for a few km till you see the aforesaid triangle stalls, then turn left as per above.

SUNDAY NOON UPDATE: Well sometime between Friday and last night, someone graded the little road up to the site, so it's now safe even for toy cars like mine. I also noted that it's more like 300m before the Nam Noi traffic lights (if coming from Songkhla), immediately after the school.

I didn't expect that!

...the Songkhla inquisition, otherwise known as quiz nite, which due to an unexpected warp in the space time fabric will take place this Friday, September 27th at the Office Bar at 8:00 p.m. The quizmaster is appropriately, man-for-all-seasons, former doyen of the teaching fraternity and currently culinary supremo, Chris, who, as is not widely know is a one-time hasher, as in he went one time and never came back again because we stuck him on a block of ice and threw water over him and sang lewd songs - he is a surprisingly sensative soul!

 But the Hash team, hopefully restored to full strength, will be fighting to avenge their trouncing last time at the hands of the two Daves (we haven't forgotten, SS!) All's in aid of the blind kids so please come along and support the event and who knows you could end up on the winning team...if Short Screw can do it, so can you!

Equally unexpectedly, Saturday's SH3 run will not be the expected relay hare run, but will be a Sex Sprinter/Buk Toy/Superpig affair: Details are:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1685, Saturday September 28th, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Sex Sprinter and Buk Toy and Superpig
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Hatyai road for about 8k and turn left before the hill, then go less than 1k and turn right at the hash sign and follow the new road to the run site (map below).

Toy Boy? Budokan? Who are these people?

Sunday's HH3 hare is as expected Sex Focus (although why he has suddenly taken to setting runs for HH3 instead of Godzown hash is known only to the Almighty). Early indications suggest that going 10k down the old Hatyai road and turning right just after Nam Noi School, then following the track for about 1.5k would be likely to bring you to the run site. But if a more accurate map should surface it will follow (as will a less accurate map which is what we expect... or don't expect...)

Sweepings from the hard drive

2005

2010

2006

2010

 

2002

2002

2010

2009

c. 2004

c. 2005

c. 2009

2007

Birthday pussy and the secret policeman's electrician

Hot on the heels of Dung Beetle's hugely successful, brilliantly organised and much appreciated birthday run last week, the long-planned (in the loosest sense of the word) pussy birthday run takes place this Saturday, restoring a semblance of normality to Hash affairs. 

The venue, despite R2D2's well intentioned but ultimately doomed efforts, will be Sai Kao Resort where at least 2 runs will take place and a pussy-sponsored party will follow. Final details are still being agonised over (see below) but the pile of cartons of beer presently adorning the front room at Egg Towers would suggest that there will be no shortage of beer! There will also be food a-plenty, and if you register for both the SH3 run and the Full Moon H3 run that will follow (110 Baht for adults, 50 Baht for kids), there will be an addition to your wardrobe. 

Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1684, Saturday September 21st 2013, 4:30 p.m. and Hatyai Full Moon Hash House Harriers run #102, ditto, 7:00 p.m.'ish
Hares: (deep breath) Super Pig, Crackwurst, Ram It In, Only a Yolk, Meals on Wheels, Temporary Relief, Swings and Roundabouts, Ork Dork and LPG. assisted by various cannine security guards and technical assistants.
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left. Go 6k and turn left for 4.5k to the run site on the left at the back of the Sai Kao Resort.

The final details (i.e. virtually everything apart from the venue, and that only because there's no choice!) will be hammered out tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Steak Nei Suan restaurant (old Hatyai road, 6.2k on the left) from about 6:30 p.m. onwards. Even if you are not a pussy or officially affiliated to one, you are cordially invited to come along and observe the tortous hammering out of each others' heads the few remaining issues, like: by whom, when and where the runs are going to be set,  what food we will be eating, who will cook it, where and when and who will pay for it and not least who will be entitled to one of the now magically increased to seven rooms and who will have to provide their own accomodation or sleep under the stars. 

Fascinating stuff! It makes you realise why democracy is ultimately doomed to failure. (Personally, I blame the cube. GM)

Then on Sunday, making it a completely birthday dominated weekend, We are all invited to run and party down Poonakan way at the home of Bii Lek, better known as K. Sombat or the Secret Policeman's Electrician. Children are invited to bring swimming costumes, adults apparently don't need to - read into that what you will! Hares are unknown but will be revealed when a map arrives which will be posted here. Misdirections read:
From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left. Go 8k and turn right (at Wat Kheo Kloy into Poonakan Rd.) for 6k to the runsite on the left. Those unwise enough to be coming from Hatyai should proceed for about 5k up Poonakan from its junction with Kanjanawanit Road to the runsite on the right.

Lost in space

Bearing in mind our recent record of 'losing' people, be comforted that we are not alone:
http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNM09UUTVNakF3TVE9PQ==
So, next time you're lost in the jungle (or found on the Darkside), remember
"I just keep blacking out and doing things I'm not aware of"!

Pimp your wheels!

It's the latest craze -- giant HH3 stickers appearing all over the Hatyai Hash motor pool. Tacky eyesore or chic badge of pride? You tell us!

Silence is.....a pain in the ass!

Ok, so... fabulous trails, a modest hill, no nanny hares; what more could you ask? And that was just the short run!
And don't say, make it shorter - the GPS that never lies confirms that compared to Dung Beetle's epic on Saturday (9k+), this was a mere jog in the park - 6.4k plus or minus a kilo or so for the possible short cuts  (of which there were few) and the F's 'n X's ( of which there were many adequate).
Harumph! Faint condemnation  I can stand, but silence hurts! I mean, surely it wasn't that bad?
(FTR: long run all in 8.05k, max height, 292m, total ascent 347m; first runner reportedly in in about 1hr 20min.. Short run 3.2k, max height 140m, first walker in in 1 hr or thereabouts)

Secrets of dung beetle navigation

So how's this for timing: among the 2013 Ig Nobel Prizes announced today was one for research into how dung beetles are able to arrange their rolls of poop into such neat, straight lines. Evidently they use celestial navigation. Could come in handy if you find yourself lost and disoriented at some point tomorrow evening.

Perhaps the most notable of the other Ig Nobels this year went to Scotland's Rural College for the discovery that "the longer a cow has been lying down, the more likely that cow will soon stand up." Read the exciting details here.

Dung Beetle to the rescue: The sequal

Good news! Dung Beetle announces that Saturday's SH3 run will start and finish at BAI MEANG in Th. Sadao, and will not visit or be in any way connected with Mud Mee. So the misdirections should read:

From Bai Meang, go nowhere....

Map above for those who have never been to Bai Meang!

 

 

Dung Beetle to the rescue

Just when it was all getting a bit dull, Dung Beetle steps up and as he has done so many times before, shakes us out of our routine by setting us a town run - our first one in 2 years apart from the Songkran walks which don't really count. This one is in celebration of his birthday and will start and end at the Mud Mee Restaurant, with a party to follow the circle. (If you don't know, Mud Mee is now in Thanon Chai Ya, not behind the old Parlang).
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1683, Saturday 14th September 2013, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Dung Beetle and assorted miscreants
Misdirections, (as the beer truck drives): From Bai Meang, head for the dark side and turn left into Th. Srisuda, towards the Corner Beer. Follow Srisuda across the first intersection (Th. Sai Ngam) and at the next intersection turn left into Th. Chai Ya. Mud Mee is on the left a couple of hundred meters down from the junction not far from the back gate of Shlumberger. (Don't know where Bai Meang is? Shame on you!)
Suggestions for birthday presents:
1. A case of beer
2. A case of beer
3. A case of beer

Sunday's HH3 run will be from the other big tree (From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left. Go 10.3k (2.3k beyond Wat Keow Kloy) and turn left for about 1.5k to the run site) and will feature a long run set by Kai Jeow who after announcing the gory details and waving a fond goodbye to the pack will swiftly depart for an academic engagement, leaving the short run hares, Moo Sahb and Full Moon to carry the can.

Stumbled on...

..in search of a compromising picture of Dung Beetle, discovered this and 94 others like it at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/songkhla_h3/ . Does anyone know how to preserve these for posterity?
P.S. Didn't find any compromising images of Dung Beetle. Does he lead an innocent alter-life?

Pizza night at Basil's?

Well I think it's tonight at 7 pm., pending confirmation from our illustrious GM. Basil serves probably the best pizza between Krabi and Penang and tonight as every Monday night they're offering a 20% discount. Not to mention the chance to get together with some fellow hashers you haven't seen for almost 24 hours.

Map and misdirections here.

Best laid plans

It's a jinx for sure. I don't know if it's the runsite, or me, or the tempting of fate by billing two consecutive runs as "The Lost Weekend" and "Return of the Lost Weekend". Probably all three. My next run I promise I'll get back to a nice, easy, trouble-free area. You know, like the Gorge of Death.

Here's yesterday's run as it was laid. Expecting rain, I kept it short (6km) and flat (total ascent: 125m), and made sure the out- and in-trails were in opposite directions. I put in lots of checks to keep everyone together but tried to make them easy. And having had most of my paper squares washed away in last Saturday's torrential rain, I switched to shreddy and put out huge amounts of it. It took just 1:30 to set and I was pretty sure we could run it in about 50 minutes.

For the first 5.5km or so it all worked to plan. Despite the expected rain, it wasn't too hard to follow the paper. Led by Sex Sprinter and Tsunami, two of the guys lost for hours on the long run last week, we quickly made it to the last check in about 45 minutes.

That's when things went wrong. The final check required a hard left turn, something that's completely unintuitive on a clockwise run. Plus the rain was still pouring down and the paper was getting scarcer by the minute. And so we ended up too far to the right and managed to start running backwards up our own out-trail.

At this point was a certain amount of group improvisation, which is to say running around like headless chickens. Even Sex Sprinter, who we always count on to know exactly where the runsite is, seemed at a loss. But eventually we got back to the junction where the short run headed back to the runsite, at which point the hare resolutely took charge (admittedly after having been totally useless up to then) and led the entire pack back home. We all came in together at 1:11, which as Jim and I agreed actually made for a better run than the original 0:50 plan would have.

As best as I can figure it, our actual track was just over 8km and went something like this:

What we didn't know as we cracked open the first beers and congratulated ourselves for all getting back safely was that Gan Yao and Softcock were still out there. They'd both arrived late and boldly headed off on what remained of the paper about ten minutes behind us. Fortunately I'd broken all the checks . . . well, until the last one, where we all went astray.

The exact wanderings of this unlucky pair will remain a mystery, but from the sound of it they did pretty much as we did, finding themselves going around in circles and the darkness rapidly closing in. There's a certain Bermuda Triangle kind of quality to this area, with no distinguishing hills or other landmarks and a constant sense of "Didn't I just pass this way a few minutes ago?" Not a good place to lose your bearings in the light, never mind the dark.

Meanwhile back at the site we were huddling under umbrellas in the dark, drinking beer and wondering, as usual, who was going out to search. In the end most all of us did, with a total of two groups walking the trails and four cars sweeping the roads. And then finally, some time after 8 pm., a call came in from the prodigal pair, in a village just down the road (bottom right of the above map).

And so SH3 maintains its perfect record of never losing a hasher permanently, though it has to be said that Gan Yao certainly pushes the limits. Really guys, with proper therapy the flashbacks and panic attacks should fade within a year or two. In fact the only real traumatic memory of the day is likely to be when we realized that Only a Yolk had pissed off home and accidentally taken the rest of the beer with her. A few things really aren't forgivable.

Return of the lost weekend: Go back and do it again!

Seeing as how none of us actually managed to get beyond the 2nd check in last weeks deluge, Beavershot will be resetting his lost weekend run this Saturday, possibly with the assistance of R2D2 to help him handle the huge bag of shreddy he has been given as he has finally seen the error of his ways over those horrible squares, at least during the wet season.
For those whose memories need prodding, the details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1682, 4:30 pm., Saturday, 7th September 2013
Hares: Beavershot and R2D2
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo Intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left for 10.6k then turn right and go 1.1k to the runsite.   
Sunday's HH3 map is:

Or: From  the Ko Yo intersection, Take the old Hatyai road for 10k to the Nam Noi traffic lights and turn left, then go 4k and turn right for about 400m to the run site. The hare is Godfather Sex, which sounds like something that should be investigated by Operation Yewtree!

Some Hatyai hashers

End of the Ice Age?

Not on the Hatyai Hash it isn't. But at least they know how to pick their victims. This excellent icing was a highlight of yesterday's circle.