Chiaroscuro

There may be a photographic question on tomorrow's quiz but it won't be this one. Chiaroscuro (Italian for "light-dark") is an artistic technique using strong whites and blacks and not much in between. Or maybe it's just what happens when you drink a lot of beer and try to take photos late at night. Anyhow, three shots from the Khii Yang farewell last Sunday.

Beaver! Beaver! Beaver!

Plenty of beaver this weekend, if you like that sort of thing, with the amiable rodent setting both the quiz on Friday, and Saturday's SH3 run. Quiz details below, but Saturday's run will be:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1706, Saturday March 1st, 2014, 4:30 p.m.

Hare: Beavershot 

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k to Wat Khao Kloi. Turn right into Punnakan for about 5k to the intersection just before Wat Thung Ngai. Turn left and go 2.2k to the entrance to the Meditation Center. The run site is about 400m up that road.

Sunday's HH3 run is a quasi-pussy run with Moo Sahb, Happy Ending and Budokan combining with some doggies, a GPS and a technical advisor to set the run. the location is in the no-man's land between Sai Kao and Kao Lam: 

From Hatyai take a right at Nam Noi and go 12k then turn left as if heading for Khao Ron but bear right through the village after about 400m, then go for another 500m to the run site on the right. 

From Songkhla the most direct route is to turn right 11k up the old Yala road (after the junction with the new Yala road but before Tung Wang) and follow the road for about 2.2k, past Wat Khao Lam, then go across the crossroads and on for another 1k when the run site will magically appear on the left. Sex Sprinter's map for the lexically handicapped below which makes everything clear!

Finally, the quiz nite will take place on Friday the 0th of March, which means that it is not in February so Stick Insect can stop being boring and irritable and have a few beers!) and will be at the Office Bar at 8:00 p.m. Mein Quizmeister is Beavershot and the Hash team will thus be open to all-comers particularly as Softy will also be on his travels. Do come along and join in or just hang around and poke fun at us when we lose!

Farewell to Khii Yang

Most, but not all, of the throng who turned out at HH3 yesterday to say goodbye to Khii Yang (in yellow in the top row just right of center, holding a beer) before his return to Sri Lanka. And naturally that required a ridiculously vertical Robocop run, huge amounts of food, and ten cases of free beer. Click to see it BIG.

Enlightenment

1705: Democracy in action

1705 in all its 5k glory. Maximum height was a little over 200 meters and the total ascent about 290 meters so nothing too dramatic. The 3k short run hit 115 meters  with a total ascent of about the same, most of which was a fairly direct climb up the hill just after the two runs diverged so perhaps a mite more challenging and most of the long runners were back before most of the short runners, with the first in at 1 hour 5 minutes.
We welcomed new runner Jackson from Aberdeen and returners Goonie and Kan Kai. Flowerpot Man was bid a fond farewell and given his 100 run Tshirt. Egghead got his for 700 runs. Beaver and Yardo were iced respectively for off-paper running and snitching and Kii Leum for prefering and hour and half in the clutches of his dentist to getting to the site on time. Nothing else to report...

Oh ok there was a sort of erection at which only one position on the committee was changed - Softcock was appointed as On Sex as no one was sure who was elected last year. Otherwise it's an unchanged team: GM - Egghead, Hash Cash - Stick Insect, Hare Raiser - R2D2, Cultural Advisor - Sex Sprinter, Beer Bitch - Temporary Relief, Haberdasher - Only a Yolk, Nerd - Beaver. Have I forgotten anyone?

Dierectional dysfunction.

The directions to today's run should read:

From the Kao Saeng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right before Wat Kun Thong. Go 2.7k and turn left then follow the concrete road for 800 meters to the run site.

But if you want to go via the Ko Yo intersection, take the new Yala road and at the end turn right into the old Yala road then go about 6k and turn right before Wat Kun Thong. Go 2.7k and turn left then follow the concrete road for 800 meters to the run site.

Sorry!

Electile dysfunction - following in a great tradition

Choices? Who mentioned choices?
Think yourself lucky you get to vote at all!

Saturday is SH3 AGM day when, as long as we are not descended upon by mobs of protesters intent on frustrating our democratic instincts, we will elect a new or only slightly used GM to lead and inspire us as we go forward into our 32nd glorious year of ... (rhetoric failure - reset system) Anyway, by tradition, the erection occurs at 4:00 p.m after which the run time reverts to 4:30 for the hot season.
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers AGM and run #1705, Saturday February 22nd 2014, 4:00 p.m
Hares: Egghead and doggies
Missederections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right before Wat Kun Thong. Go 2.7k and turn left then follow the concrete road for 800 meters to the run site.

Sunday's HH3 run is a goodbye run for Kee Yang who will be reluctantly leaving Thailand next week and returning to Sri Lanka. Pledges of beer and food were sought and given at last weekend's run so there will probably be an extended blow out at the run site and likely at Pii Lek's place afterwards. Details below.

OR: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k;
turn left for 8k, then right (at Wat Keow Kloi into Poonakan Rd.)
for about 8k then look for signs on the left to the runsite.

Don't miss it!

Just another wonderful weekend

Saturday's runs above: 1704 long in blue: 5.25k, max. height: 166m, total ascent 223m; the short run in green was about 4.8k as was full moon 107 in red. The full moon pack must have been one of the biggest we have managed since the inception of HFMH3 back in 2004. The official count is awaited but it seemed like there were 40-50 people on the trail, not including the auxiliary hares who removed about a kilometer of paper, but whose efforts were thwarted by the fortunate presence of the real hare, who even managed to guide the FRB's up the remnants of F3. No times available but none of the runs could have involved the pack in running for over an hour, excepting Stick Insect, whose directional sense let him down again as he hit the road just above the resort on the full moon run, but then opted to search for home in the direction of Wat Keow Kloy. Derrrr....
A splendid weekend's fun topped off by yesterday's clamber over the quarry behind the CPF factory. Full marks to the hares for some inspired paper laying at the bottom of the hill allowing the location of the in trail to be established during the search for paper at the first check, thus ensuring that when we came off the hill, we knew exactly where we were going. This do not however prevent Beavershot disappearing off the radar for half an hour in an abortive effort to locate paper a kilometer or so down the road away from the run site. Perhaps Sticky's directional failures are contagious!

Brainiac on the human gait

OK, so I had to call Brainiac anyway for some help with the upcoming quiz. Could he kindly answer a question that came up Saturday?

"What now?" he growled. Brainiac clearly doesn't think much of the topics that consume us as we swill our post-run beers.

"Is it true that humans are more efficient at walking than running?" I asked.

"Of course it is, you moronic humanoid. Who would have thought otherwise?"

"Well, since you ask, it was Stick Insect."

"Bah," he sputtered. "He's the one not drinking any alcohol this month?"

"That's right." I said.

"Then tell him to get back on it. He's losing it."

For a more precise answer, here is a graph showing energy consumption during walking and running at various speeds. The vertical axis is calories expended per mile per 100 lbs. of body weight. As you can see, the most efficient way to cover ground is walking at a pace of around 3.5 mph (roughly 5.5 kph).

This of course is opposite to most other large mammals, and is attributed mainly to the geometry of human feet. As one study put it, "the human gait adapted for efficient walking at the cost of efficient running."

And bicycles? On level ground, anywhere from three to five times more energy-efficient than walking. 

Maps

Confirmation of Saturdays double-run location (above) for the lexically challenged. Ditto for Sunday's HH3 run (below) which may prove to be a hang over run, as free beer has now been confirmed for the Full Moon H3 run on Saturday. Also confirmed is the availability of almost limitless possibilities for camping at the resort which opens onto a convenient area of rubber belonging to the resort's owner.

The best laid plans....

Efforts to have this weekend's SH3/HFMH3 runs and sleepover conducted at one of the resorts along the New Yala Road have reached an impasse suggestive that they feel we are not up to the standard of clientelle whom they have come to expect. Which is surprising since... no, let's not be morally judgmental about their raison d'etre.

But the good news is that Sex Sprinter and Only a Yolk, after an exhaustive survey of the available options, have concluded a highly favorable deal with the Keow Kloi Resort, situated conveniently in Poonakan Road about 1.7k beyond Wat Keow Kloi on the right hand side.

The resort is a salubrious establishment with a commitment to providing high quality accommodation to nice families - but we won't hold that against them! Of more interest is that they have 10 rooms, all of which have been booked for the Hash so we will have exclusive occupancy of the resort between Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. So far, 8 of the rooms have been reserved  (by Stick Insect, Beavershot, Sex Sprinter, Softcock, Egghead, Peppered Pussy/Rock and Roll/Hip Hop, Meals on Wheels and Sex Silence), leaving 2 rooms currently available, price 400 Baht. If you would like one then say so quickly! Otherwise, options for camping are probably available. 

Details are:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers, run #1705, Saturday February 15th 2014, 4:30 p.m. (yes 4:30, to allow as many as possible HH3 runners to join us). 

Hares: Pussies, including but probably not limited to: Only a Yolk, Super Pig and Hand Job.

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the Old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k then right (at Wat Keow Kloi) for 1.7k to the run site on the right.

And

Hatyai Full Moon Hash House Harriers run #106, as soon as the SH3 circle finishes and certainly no later than 7:00 p.m.

Hare: Kai Jeow

Misdirections, as above.

Usual stuff applies as far as is known: bring a hand-light if you intend to run; contributions of food and intoxicating liquor gratefully accepted, and beer available at 120 Baht for 3 cans from the keeper of the big blue eskie. 

Sunday's details are partially awaited although it can be assumed that the hares will be Robocop and Sex Racing, who it has to be said, set a cracking run last Sunday not a million miles from where Saturday's run is being set. More details as they become available.

Before and after

In the hopes of eventually getting around to posting a few pix of the Temporary/Cock Ubon weekend here, we begin with a pair of photos showing the magical effect of Jack Daniels on the inimitable Palm Job. Elapsed time: about 20 minutes.

Before: Sniff test to determine authenticity.

After: Authenticity confirmed!

Our newest centenarian

I'm sure there's a better shot of FPM around here somewhere but for the moment this snap from yesterday will have to do.

In his haste to libel a respected senior hasher*, my worthy co-correspondent Yardstick failed to note in his post below the main significance of yesterday's excellent outing: it was the 100th SH3 run by Flowerpot Man. Due to his busy social schedule around S.E. Asia, to say nothing of his gardening duties back in Blighty, it's taken FPM over a decade to reach this milestone, and all he gets is a lousy t-shirt. In fact, this being Songkhla Hash, he didn't even get that, though it may eventually appear. Anyhow, congrats and on-on!

*Let it simply be noted that said senior hasher did not "[fail] to break the first check" after the beer stop; indeed he did not even attempt to break that check, instead heading directly back to the beer truck and the pleasant walk down the road to the runsite, a full can of cold beer in hand. If there's anyone who lost the plot here it wasn't me, I mean him, but you maniacs who were still flailing away in the jungle.

The Beaver Cleaver Run

Has the axe finally fallen on the illustrious running career of SH3 self proclaimed front runner Beavershot! From the beer stop, after failing to break the first check, and being in danger of failing to be the FRB back to the runsite if he followed shreddy, he inexplicably decided to limp home along the road, together with the small children and the infirm. Even Softy's toy dogs were able to complete the entire long run and return to the runsite in a timely manner.
The 8 checks and 8 false trails worked well and generally kept the long runners within a few hundred metres of each other. However yells of disappointment were heard from the front runners when they arrived at the beer stop truck only to find it devoid of beer. Lucky enough they were soon directed to the swimming hole and waterfall where returning runner Conebrain and R2D2 had secreted their ill-gotten  gains and were attempting to drink the beer cooler dry by themselves. Although we were not able to quite achieve this at the beer stop, no effort was spared back at the runsite drinking the beer truck dry before the GM called the circle as the light started to fade completely.
The stats for this run are: long run length 8.3kms (if you found all the 'F's), maximum altitude 161m, total ascent 296m, run time (part of which was spent consuming a fair number of beers at the waterfall) was 1 hour & 35 minutes, with all runners, apart from one aformentioned recalcitrant, returning within a few minutes of the FRB.  The short run was either 3.2kms if you walked back along the road, or 2.2kms if you were wise enough to get a ride back with the beer truck, the total ascent for this run was a miserly 66m. If you followed squares back to the runsite from the beer stop (the blue track) on the medium run, the run length was 4.1kms with a total rise of 98m.

Yesterday's hares

As Trink used to say, any comment would be superfluous.

HH3 this Sunday

As predicted below, Sunday's HH3 run has slipped gently into Poonakan. From Songkhla do the usual stuff to Wat Keow Kloi then take a right and go about 2k just over the top of the hill to the big new road on the right.

Early warning!

This week's SH3 run details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1703, Saturday February 8th 2014, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Yardstick and Kii Leum
Misdirections: If coming from Songkhla, go 4.6 kms past the Ko Yo intersection on the Old Hatyai Road and turn left towards Tha Kham and go 10.7 kms (2.9 kms past Wat Khao Kloi) and turn left for 3.5 kms, going about 1.1 kms past the end of the bitumen to the runsite. 

For Hat Yai vehicles, take either Poonakan Rd, or the Nam Noi Rd to Tha Kham, and proceed past Wat Khao Kloi towards Wat Nern Phichit for 2.9 kms and turn left, then go 3.5 kms to the runsite.

HH3's run on Sunday (9th February) is believed to be somewhat closer to Wat Khao Kloi, either on the same road or possibly on Poonakan. Go to the Wat and look for a sign then follow the road indicated to where it leads. More details will no doubt follow when a map appears. The hare (as is apparently the case for all of February) is Robocop.

Two upcoming events: This month's Full Moon H3 run will be held on Valentine's Day which is next Friday. A sleepover at one of the temporally challenged resorts on the New Yala road has been mooted. Indications of interest/commitment to this idea would be welcome either on Saturday or Sunday. The cost is likely to be in the 5-700 baht range for a room. Everything else would be as per a normal HFMH3 run.

Finally, as this is February it must be erection time and no doubt the On Sex (who is he?) will be moving among us seeking nominations for the various onerous tasks which are allocated at this orgy of democracy. The likely date is February 22nd, so if you feel inspired to volunteer, do so to the On Sex, or failing his identity becoming known, mutter loudly in the presence of anybody who looks as if they might know what is going on. 

1702

Thanks to Yardstick for a salvage job on this image. Kii Leum advised 8k but didn't report any other stats. Likely maximum height above the second check (for those fanatical enough to have gone up and found the paper instead of just heading round the hill - we know who you are!) 200 meters. No Sex Sprinter so no one knows how long it took, but the run was good enough that it only felt like an hour or so. In fact let's be generous and say that it was a very good run if you avoided the 50 meter climb up the gully above the second check and just went round the hill and an even better one if you weren't stampeded at the wonky bridge and didn't end up on the old Yala road!

And we thought it was a joke

Seems the BBC actually managed to announce what we were just joking about at the hash yesterday. Story here.