Penang '16 update

Penangers and wannabees... Just in case there's still anyone out there wishing they could go, I'm going to be booking another room a the hotel today as Superpig wants to go, so there is a spare berth if any one decides to join us - the room sharing arrangements could be rigged to accommodate either a man or a woman..

Going on!

The hares advise.... There is building work at the big sala which necessitates a small change in the run site: From the old run site, go on for a further 300m (1.4k from the turning off the old Hatyai road) and at the T junction turn left for 250m, then turn left into the run site.

Going up!

Saturday's SH3 run is from behind somewhere that looks like this:

 and will probably involve going up something that looks like this:

Details are:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1849, Saturday 26th November 2016, 4:30 p.m.

Hare: Sex Sprinter

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 6.5k past the CPF factory and do a U turn. Come back 100m and turn left for about 1k to the big sala. Park in the car park behind. From Hatyai take Kanchanawanit road for 10.5k from the Ko Hong intersection and turn left just before the CPF factory.

Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Robocop: From The Keow Kloy end of Poonakan go about 5k and turn left just before Wat Tungnai, then go about 1.5k and turn right to the run site. Hatya'istas should go up Poonakan for about 5.5k and turn right etc.

Finally, the last quiz night of 2016 will happen this Friday, 25th November at the Office Bar when the hash team will have its final opportunity to post a victory this year against the evil teachers who seem to have been winning forever. An announcement will be made about how much money has been raised for the blind school this year, so come along and help to boost the figure.

All you ever wanted to know about the hash and were too lazy to ask

The hash stats and archive are now available for review on line on Onedrive, here and the individual run records from May 2005 to the present can be viewed in 3 files, here, there and everywhere. Is there anyone out there in the blogosphere who happens to have retained a digital copy of the hash stats file dating back before 2005? A long shot I know but there are some anomalies in the hash archive that it would be nice to resolve.

Penang '16: update

With a little under 2 weeks to go there are now 14 people confirmed as going down to Penang for the PMH3 run. But it's not too late to join us and anyone who wants to can still (at the time of posting) be accommodated at the hotel for around 870 Baht with the run itself setting you back 100 Ringit or about 850 Baht. The plan is still to travel by train with the cost certainly not exceeding 500 Baht both ways. Looks too good to miss!

It's all gone buckin' wee wee!

Buck has flown into town especially to set this Saturday's SH3 run after warming up by making a cameo appearance at Tuesday's FMH3 run on which it is widely believed he was responsible for successfully preventing Stick Insect from becoming spatially discombobulated terminally retarded. (Thanks Beavver!)

Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1848, Saturday, November 19th 2016: 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Buck and Wee Wee
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 9.1k and do a U turn then come back 100 meters and turn left after Ban Dan School. Follow the road to the run site at the end or the road in about 2.8k. From Hatyai the easiest if not the most direct route is to get to Tha Kham and head East for about 6k to the big tree then  go straight ahead for another 3.5k and turn  left at Wat Khun Thong, then go about 7k and turn left after Ban Dan School.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Robocop from the quarry beneath the virgin who formerly had three tits: from Songkhla go 16k up the OYR and turn right for 1k to the run site on the right, or from Hatyai follow the directions to Saturday's run as far as the big tree then go straight ahead for 2.5k then turn left into the run site.

The virtual full moon run

Here is the hare's track from Tuesday's full moon run. Most of the paper had disappeared into the ground by the time the hounds actually set off so full marks to both the short and long runners for managing to follow the trails as far as the final F before hitting the road, and even to Stick Insect with Buck in tow, who managed to get delayed for the second time in three days, eventually having to resort to asking for directions to get home from the last aborted F, from which no one - not even the hare with the aid of the GPS, could find the in trail. The short run was 4k and the long run 6.5k, and they  took about an hour, and an hour and a half respectively, to walk as running was difficult. The conditions suited Big Foot a.k.a. Gan Yao perfectly as the virtual absence of paper meant that he could follow the trail without compromising his creed of never knowingly being on paper. A good turn out for a FM run enjoyed a late view of the supermoon which found its way out of the clouds as the pack enjoyed the copious food  and a couple of slabs of Leo.

Supermoon +1

This month's full moon run will happen on Tuesday evening, a day late for the supermoon but still close enough, weather permitting, to bring some light to our darkness.
Details are:
Hatyai Full Moon Hash House Harriers' run #132, Tuesday November 15th, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
Hare: Kai Jeow
Misdirections: From Songkhla, take the Old Hatyai road for 4.7k past the Ko Yo intersection and turn left for 6k then turn left at Tha Kham and go east for 1.5k then turn right for 500m to sala Hin Kliang. From Hatyai. either get to Wat Keow Kloy at the top of Poonakan and turn left for 1k then turn right and follow the road for about 1.8k to the sala, or get to Tha Kham and head east for 1.5k etc.
Usual stuff applies. Bring a hand/head light if you intend to run and some food if you think you will be hungry. Beer will be on sale at 40 Baht a can but if you prefer bring your own and share it with your mates.

The run that ate Stick Insect; part 2 (or 3 or 4 or...)

And here is the run on which he did get... well let's be charitable, temporarily directionally misguided, since as with last weekend's dislocation, he claims to have been on paper the whole time albeit that he might not necessarily have been going in what for the remainder of the pack and for the hare, was the correct direction. Still, all's well that ends well and he made it back under his own steam, leaving the search party desperately pursuing his cries of on- on! in the faint hope that he would stay in one place long enough to be rescued. For the record, the all up length was 8.2k which reduced to 6.5k without the generous assortment of F's and X's. The high spot was the upward X at the 2nd check, which reached 206m and the total ascent was about 350m The bulk of the pack made the beer stop which was only 700m from the run site, in about 1 hour 15, by which time the short run were all safely back at the run site having completed the 4k in about an hour including a brief sojourn at the beer stop.
So, Sticky, three in a row at tomorrow nights Full Moon H3 run (of which more anon)?

Saturday's run

Here's the track of the only run this weekend on which Stick Insect didn't get lost. Oh hang on, he was the hare. It started as a pretty normal circling of the hill, then on the way back headed right up to the top for the benefit of a beer stop on that big black rock with its view out to the gulf. Unfortunately by then it was getting too dark to enjoy much of either the beer or the view, but full marks to the hare for dragging the beer up there. Length was about 7.5km as I ran it.

Penang '16

Remember this splendid bunch of miscreants? They are Penang Men's H3 and they visited us and ran from and partied at Thung Jaeng back in September last year, and were generally agreed to have been excellent value.
Although they are a men's hash the experience of running with us has clearly had a positive influence as next month they will be holding their 20th anniversary run on 3rd December and it will be open to hashers of all genders. They have invited us to join them but we need to give them an idea of whether we are coming and if so, how many of us will be going. Yardo, the Egg family and Softy and Temp have all made positive noises so how about it?
The suggestion is to go on Friday, 2nd December as a group (barring Softy et al who would drive up from KL) and return on Sunday, travelling by train from Pedang Besar, which is cheap (MYR11 each way, or about MYR30 for the bookable and faster ETS service) and comfortable, and to book a hotel for the whole group (which I can do). The cost of the hotel in Georgetown close to where the run takes place on a double room sharing basis is likely to be about 400-500 Baht a night and the registration for the event is MYR100 per person. So altogether leaving aside food/beer and entertainment (other than on the run itself) would be about 2000 Baht per person.
For more details of the run visit PMH3 20th anniversary run. We probably need to decide about this over the weekend so could anyone interested either add a comment to this post or let me know at either run this weekend.

Where the runs are

This week's SH3 runsite will be in the no-mans land between the football pitch and the Wat at Kao Lam: Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1846, Saturday November 12th, 2016: 4:30 p.m.
Hare: Stick Insect
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 11k (1k beyond the OYR/NYR Intersection at Angthong) and turn right for about 1k to the run site on the right.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Kai Jeow, and from Hatyai is best approached from Route 43. If you are coming from the Klong Wa intersection, the turning is 20.6k on the left, but for those who prefer their directions via Poonakan Rd, at Wat Keow Kloy, turn right and follow the road for 5.8k until it meets Route 43, then turn left for 7.8k to the turning  on the left. Follow the road for 2.8k and turn left then go 200m and turn right into the run site. (Map below).

From Songkhla head down the Old Yala Road for 17.5k and turn right at Tan Khwai school. Follow the metalled road through the village for 2.1k then at the crematorium, go straight ahead onto the track and follow it for 1.2k, then turn right just before reaching the hard top and go about 170m to the run site on the right (see map above). The run site can also be reached from the turning by the mosque at 19.3k by following the road through the village for 2.7k then turning right at the hash sign. However that route will not be signed so you're on your own!

Impressive Erection

Here is the proof of All Black’s winning entry of 17 cans in the continuing beer can tower competition. Shown in the other photo is the proud author standing behind one of her earlier less lofty entries. But not enough praise and appreciation was given to the hard drinking contributors who made this all possible.

Yes, an eggsellent run and not only because he managed to lead Stick Insect astray (we should avoid saying lost, apparently).
By SI’s  account he has finally proved that there are in fact three hills in that area, and not the two as accepted by the general populace. Apparently he retraced the out trail back to the top of the first hill, after his infamous sense of direction was confused by the second false trail.

Haven't we done this before?

Three quarters of the way round setting this little number, I had the distinct impression that somewhere in the previous 221 lays I had set an absoluely identical run. It just all seemed so familiar; which it hadn't on the recce earlier in the week when every trail I half remembered seemed to have disappeared or become overgrown and what the hell was that road doing up the northern end of Kao Lam?

But come the day and the tracks were there as they should have been; and that road? Falsie! The all up length was about 7k and without the 7 F's and the single X, which was added later just to get to the magic number of 14 checks, was a hare's breadth under 6k. The top just after the 3rd 360 was 200m according to Mr. Garmin although measley old Google Earth lopped 5m off that. The total ascent was about 250m. The short run, which missed out the hill and the fore play was about 4k and All Black and the other intrepid short hounds, who made it to the top of that falsie up the new road to enjoy the spectacular view of Kao Wong, reached about 100m  The first short runner to reached the beer stop was also All Black in about 30 minutes with the rest arriving before Short Screw headed the long runners thence in 54 minutes. Notable by his absence at that stage was Stick Insect, who was assumed to have made his own way home (as he knows this country so well!) so the beer stop closed without him taking refreshment.

Back at the run site the packs had or were in the process of arriving home on paper, bar  the unlucky Vinay, who having been blagged into doing the long run on the birthday run, on his second run had the misfortune of running into Short Screw in short-cutting mood. The pair were eagerly egged on as they made their way from the end of the final F across the muddy morass formerly known as the lake, and were later iced for their pains.

Stick Insect's absence began to cause more concern than amusement as dusk fell and motorized search parties were sent out. SI was fairly quickly found by Innuendo who conveyed him back to the run site, by which time the other search party in the Egg-truck had come to minor grief in a ditch, extricating themselves with some difficulty and a few minor modifications to the layout of the vehicle.

A circle ensued run by Throbbin' Hood, who seems to be in the throes of taking over the GM's mantle from Keeling, who is apparently trying to avoid living in Songkhla anymore! Then most of the assembled throng made the short trip to Egg Towers to polish off the beer followed not long after by the rain which had held off all day. A rump steadfastly persevered until about 10:00 p.m. but the event which will live in the memory of a not unmemorable day will be All Black's final triumphant act of the construction of a 17-can tower of the empties. of which photographic evidence should no doubt follow.

Thanks to everyone for a great 66th birthday and thanks particularly to Sex Sprinter and Super Pig, Frozen Nuts and Fan Nu Dai, and Crackwurst and Meals on Wheels for the gift of beer which was much appreciated.

Clickety-click, three little ducks.

This Saturday's SH3 run will be Egghead's clickety clickth birthday run which coincidentally will be his 2-2-2 lay. So the run will be.... moderate, with challenging interludes, the primary intention being to have everybody back at the run site long before dark in time to enjoy a few well-earned celebratory beers. Sadly, OaY will not be joining us as she will be on family duty in Bangkok but she has promised to leave a large vat of chicken curry for the pre-circle feast. And in view of the proximity to Egg Towers there will be a couple of cases of beer on ice there if the mood takes us to carry on after the circle.

Details are;
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1846, Saturday 5th November 2016, 4:30 p.m.
Hares Egghead etc.
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection* take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left for 5.2k (bearing right with the road at 4k rather than going straight ahead). Turn left opposite the temple arch at Borogam and go 500m to the run site at the big sala (7.074609 N, 100.606418 E). From Hatyai take Kanchanawanit Rd. from the traffic lights at Ko Hong for 13k  and turn right at the Kuan Hin traffic lights. Go 5.2k etc.

(*To avoid the mess at Ko Yo, about 4.5k along Kanchanawanit Rd. from the Sam Rong traffic lights turn left  under the temple arch for Wat Bang Dan and after 60m, turn right onto the dirt road. Follow the road across the old railway lines for 1.8k until you hit the NYR, Turn left for 7.4k then take the right turn just before the new unused double carriage-way section of the NYR and go 500m, then turn left on the metaled road towards Ban Napong (don't take the dirt track 30 meters before which leads up to the pig farm). After 800m, at a T junction, turn right and follow the road as it turns left for 300m to another T junction at which turn right, then immediately left and follow the road for 400m, then turn right to the big sala after 150m. Map below for the adventurous.)

Sunday's HH3 run details are now, as promised added below. Subjetct to confirmation, the details seem to be turn left at the OHR 4.7k junction and go about 11k, passing Wat Nern Pijit in the process, then look for and turn at a hash sign on the left and go 400m before turning left  into the run site. Hares are Black Sexman and the real Sex of the Man.