Instructions for the weekend

...which crudely is what the hash has to offer this weekend with SH3 and HH3 following the tried and tested formula of run-party-repeat!
Saturday's SH3 venue is Not the Full Shilling and Worm's residence in Poonakan as they set the final run of 2019, with a casual gathering afterwards to round off the year for SH3.
Details are:
Songhkhla Hash House Harriers' run #2007, Saturday, December 28, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Not the Full Shilling, Worm and Mai Dtem Baht
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k then at the Wat Keow Kloy traffic lights turn right for 1.3k to the run site inside the big gates on the right at  7.023149° 100.568478°. Click here for Google Maps' pin. From the other end of Poonakan the turning into the big gates is at 9.7k and is on the left.The gathering after the run is a BYO affair so either buy beer from the beer truck or equip yourself with a contribution to the eskie once the beer-truck has been drunk. Likewise food: all contributions gratefully accepted. 

HH3's end of year party is at the old Caltex station at the northern end of the second Tinasulanonda Bridge (from the Ko Yo intersection, head towards Ko Yo and go 9.5k across both bridges and turn left into the gas station at 7.200939° 100.552546° - click here for Google Maps' pin). There are lots of beer sponsors already but don't let that put you off bringing a bit extra. Ditto food - the more the merrier. Registration is the regular 60 Baht and if you feel like dressing up for the evening, the theme is what you wore when you were young. The run itself will start at 3:00 p.m and there will be plenty of room to camp out at the run site if you don't fancy the drive home afterwards.

Sartorial guidance and HH3 this week

The latest sartorial guidance from today's hares is to wear red underpants outside of your normal running gear (in addition to whatever red clothing you can muster). C'mon, humour them!

And while we're at it, here are the directions to tomorrow's HH3 run:

From Wat Keow Kloy take Poonakan for about 5k and turn left at the hash sign. From The other end of Poonakan the turning is at about 6k and is the one after the one immediately after Wat Thung Ngai on the right. Follow the road for about 500m to the runsite on the left. Wear something Christmassy if the mood takes you!

The end (of the year) is nigh

Well almost; this week sees SH3's penultimate run of 2019 which has been declared a red run, as in please wear as much red as possible in keeping with the general Christmas theme.
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run # 2006, Saturday December 21, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Sex Sprinter and Buk Toy
Misdirections. From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left at the Kuan Hin traffic lights. Go 5.2k and turn left opposite the temple arch at Wat Borogam for 500m to the runsite on the right opposite the big sala at 7.074643°N 100.606273°E. Click here for Google Maps pin. From Hatyai, the Kuan Hin lights are 6k beyond the Nam Noi traffic lights and the turning is on the right. (Alternative routes via Tha Kham available on request. Just leave a comment below.)
Sunday's HH3 run details have yet to be announced so will have to follow. Meanwhile for those of you who didn't know, the Hot Bread Shop has for the time being closed so the Hash bar will transfer to Oscars Bar with immediate effect from which the beer truck will in future depart. Coincidentally, they will be holding their Christmas party next Tuesday, Christmas Eve (December 24th) details of which will no doubt be posted here when they too are available.

SH3 and the 4 Rs

4R's? Surely I mean 3R's!
But no, this week's SH3 run will put into practice all three of the 3 R's and will add a new one just for good measure: it will reduce the length of the run, reuse part of the directions from last weeks run' and recycle some bits of previous runs, plus it will revisit some trails that we haven't run in quite a while.

Details are Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #2005, Saturday, December 14, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Egghead Lot Rakaa and Harram
Misdirections: from the Ko Yo intersection take the New Yala road for 800m and turn left for 400m  to the run site on the left at 7.127017°N  100.588514°E. Click here for a Google maps' pin. If you are coming from Hatyai you will need to go across the intersection and U turn at the first opportunity then come back to the intersection to turn left. There will be a sponsored beer stop and some food as well after the run provided by the hares so do try to come along and help one of them to celebrate whatever it is that he is celebrating!

Sunday's HH3 run is out at the big quarry on the new Hatyai road. From The Ko Yo intersection go about 7.5k up the NHR and take the left turn just after the Korakot Restaurant by the hash sign and follow the track into the run site in the quarry. From Hatyai head to the Nam Noi traffic lights then take the road on the left leading across the NHR for 5.5k and turn right at the Hash sign just after Wat Srisatkiree. Then follow the road until you see signs of a runsite on the right. The hares are....deep breath... Sex Kapook, IT UT, Beanie, Tanakorn, Jintala and Cooker plus the unnamed guy second from the left on the map below.

Yardbrain Run

December already?

Yep! Another year is in the home stretch  and for once the SH3 hareline is looking healthy with our 4 most regular haring combos lined up to set the runs for the rest of the year. First up is the lately returned Yardo who will be picking up where he left off prior to his departure with a run above Prem's place. Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers', run #2004, Saturday December 7th, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Yardstick and Conebrain
Misdirections: from the Ko Yo intersection take the New Yala road for 800m and turn left then follow the road as it bends right and then left past Prem's Place for a total of 2.7k to the run site at 7.1179°N 100.5988°E. Click here for a Google maps pin. If you are coming from Hatyai you will need to go across the intersection and U turn at the first opportunity then come back to the intersection to turn left.

Sunday's HH3 run is being set by the Egg tribe and is from the football field at Sai Kao (7.033355°N 100.624659°E - click here for Google Maps pin.) Map below, or, if you prefer, get to the big tree either 3.5k from the OYR 16k right turning or from Tha Kham about 6k east, and turn into the village (left from the OYR or right from Tha Kham). Go straight ahead after 150m and follow the road for a further 650m. As long as it's reasonably dry, park on the old (grass) football pitch as the concrete pitch seems to be regularly used for its intended purpose. And please try to be there at 4:00 p.m. as the run needs to start on time. Say no more!

Finally, The last quiz night of 2019 will take place on Friday (6th December) at Oscars Bar starting at 8 p.m. with Stick Insect setting the questions so please come along and give him hell if he gets it wrong and buy him a beer if he doesn't!

Stately SH3, hairy HH3!

Here is the SH3 run from Saturday rendered in dear old Google Earth format, showing the 4.3k short run (green) and the 6.8k long run (green-red-green, going in a vaguely clockwise direction. Both runs were completed in a little over an hour, reached the same high point of 167m and didn't cause anyone to fear for their lives or worry about getting home to their own beds that evening.

Here in slightly different formats, courtesy of, respectively, Kii Loeii  and Kai Ping, are yesterday's short and long HH3 runs.

Clearly there is a difference in that the Long run appears to be an A-B, but actually most of the long runners completed the trip down the new concrete road to the run site which is indicated on the short run map above. The short run was recorded as 7.3k with a total ascent of 391m and reached a peak of 367m. The run started promptly at 4:00 p.m. and the first of the short runners made it back just as dusk was falling with the final stragglers arriving at about 6:40 by which time it was completely dark. Happily they had been advised by the hares to carry handlights!

The long run meanwhile, after following the short run for most of its course dived off into the never-never land on the right about half way up the hill, went down, then up, then down again and finally up the steep bit of Khan Lao, some of it with the aid of a rope, accumulating a total ascent of 591m and a trip as far as the beer stop of around 8.5k. At that point there was still a 2k trip down the hill to complete. However, our intrepid reporter Kai Ping, having left the main trail rather later than everyone else on the long run, got a bit lost, tired and confused and was eventually located by some of the other runners and guided the rest of the way up to the beer stop in just under 2 1/2 hours, then sensibly got on the beer truck for the trip down the hill without recording it on his GPS watch.

Full marks to everyone who ensured that no one was left out in the jungle and for the immense effort that the five hares went to in setting the long run in what has to be some of the most inhospitable country you are likely to encounter hashing in Songkhla.

2003

Saturday's SH3 run details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harrier's run #2003, Saturday, November 29, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and Dor Yoi
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo Intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k to Wat Keow Kloy then turn right into Poonakan Road for 1.2k then left for 500m to the run site just off the concrete road on the left at   7.019134° 100.568892°. Click here for Google Maps' pin. From the other end of Poonakan, the turning is at about 10k and on the right.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by a cast of thousands apparently including some if not all of the China-Doll/Double Door/Boner/Cracker axis plus Sound Chef and others not readily identifiable from the picture in the map below. The run site is in the road leading up to Khan Lao - from Wat Keow Kloy take Poonakan for 5 km and turn left just before Wat Thung Nai  (or if coming from the PSU end, the turning is on the right at about 6 km, just after the wat). Follow the road for about 3.5k and turn right at the hash sign then follow the road until you see signs of a run site.

Remote haring!

In a first for SH3, Saturday's run is being set by one hare firmly located in Thailand with the other two being either in, or on their way to Japan! Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #2002, November 23, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Not the Full Shilling, Worm and "Jim", aka, Kai Ping at HH3.
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 10k to the Nam Noi traffic lights and turn left for 3.6 km, then turn right just after Wat Prutoh for 750 m. Turn left for 1 km then right at the hash sign for about 250 m and cross the earth bridge on the left to the run site at 7°01'54.8"N 100°33'10.7"E. Click here for Google Maps' pin. If you are coming up Poonakan from the PSU direction, take the left turn opposite Wat Thung Nai at about 6 km (or if coming from Wat Keow Kloy, the turning is on the right at about 5 km) and go 3.5 km along Th. Prutoh-Thungnai, then turn right for 1 km etc.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Robocop: from Wat Keow Kloy take Poonakan for 5 km and turn left just before Wat Thung Nai  (or if coming from the PSU end, the turning is on the right at about 6 km, just after the wat). Follow the road for about a kilometer and look out for the hash sign on the right then follow the track etc. to the runsite. Map below.

A tale of two runs

Here is a picture of what those who came along to SH3's run #2001 on Saturday enjoyed, a pleasant 7k or so with a couple of modest hills including our first ascent of Kao Long for a few years and trails neatly manicured by the hare to ensure a pleasant, non-life-threatening experience. The long run got up to about 175m with a total ascent of about 230m. The short runners meanwhile were split with some doing the first half of the long run ending at the beer stop and the remainder being ferried out to join the second half via the blue stub above, both doing about 3k and all being back home well before dark.

In contrast, above is the trail from Sunday's HH3 run as recorded by Kai Ping (slightly retouched to accommodate the fact that his watch didn't kick in for about the first kilometer - spot the joins if you can!) or if you prefer a less cluttered picture, here is the contour map of the run:

Ah, but I hear you say, they are not the same! And you would be correct since the top picture is of the long run (about 8k, total ascent 422m, highest point recorded 453m) while the bottom picture is of the "short" run, courtesy of Kii Loeii (about 7k, total ascent 403m, highest point recorded 459m - actually the same point as on the long run!). With the start being slightly delayed by someone's car getting stuck on the rutty road to the runsite, the run did not actually start until after 4:15 and it took even the fittest long runners almost an hour to reach the top, with others from both runs arriving any time up to about an hour later. That meant that only the leading half of the long run were allowed to complete the run as set since the somewhat otiose section which departed from the track to take in a river gorge was deemed to be too dangerous to attempt after dark - probably the most sensible decision taken all day by the hares! The upshot was that most of the short run and many of the long runners were still making their way down the hill when darkness fell and the final group did not arrive back at the runsite until well after 7 p.m. Full marks for their perseverance but should it have been necessary?

Long tough long runs are fine - if you deem yourself to be a long runner then that is the challenge you accept from time to time. But short runners really don't expect to have to be struggling home down a 450-meter hill after dark, nor for some of them to have spent the thick end of 2 hours to climb it in the first place. There were some fairly obvious rumblings after the run had finished among the short runners about no warning having been given of what was in store and it's probably fair to say that had they been given such a warning they would probably have not embarked on the run in the first place!

But on the positive side, the view from the top was spectacular, the trail down pretty nice and happily we were blessed with great weather again which at least meant that none of the more difficult sections of the hill were attempted in the rain. But maybe, just maybe, there is a need for a reaffirmation of the purpose of short runs - to offer a kinder gentler experience to those who don't want a full-on combat-scale hash and come along for a pleasant outing where they can safely take selfies and not get stuck up mountains after dark!

Over to you madame GM!

HH3 tomorrow

2001: Hal takes over!

All change this Saturday, since with Yardo's impending departure to do unmentionable things in Oz, SH3's answer to HAL 9000 has taken over and will set this weekend's run. Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #2001, Saturday November 16, 2001, 4:00 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and Harram
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left at the Kuan Hin traffic lights and stay on the main road for 6k. Turn right for 300m then follow the road round to the right for about 80m to the runsite at  7.066283° 100.604885°. Click here for Google Map's pin. From Hatyai the Kuan Hin traffic lights are 10k past the Nam Noi traffic lights and the turning is on the right.
Sunday's HH3 run, last we heard, was to be set by Nong Golf and will be somewhere across route 43 in the Na Mom area. More details here when they arrive.

Songkhla H3 2000...

from this:

to this: 

in 100 easy stages.

Remember October 2017? When SH3's very existence seemed to be in doubt and the only person confident about it was Sex Sprinter who was looking forward to run 19000? Ok, so we are not quite there yet, but SH3 has reached the milestone of its 2000th run with some aplomb, thanks to a combination of solid support from our traditional runners and the invaluable support of HH3, who have made sure that there is life in the old bull yet.

Saturday's milestone will be celebrated with a special run followed by a party at the Thung Jaeng Restaurant on the new Yala road (7°05'12.7"N 100°37'24.1"E or click here for Google Maps' pin). The runs are slated to start at 3:30 p.m: the long run will be set by Buck, Egghead and Lot Rakaa and will be an A-B, with the transport leaving Thung Jaeng at about that time. The short run will start and finish at Thung Jaeng and will be set by Sex Sprinter, Buk Toy and Only a Yolk, so the start will be a little later than that to accommodate any late arrivals. Both runs will feature sponsored beer stops: the short run by HH3 and the long run by the Full Moon Hash.

The circle will follow the end of the two runs with dinner timed at 6:30 and there will be facilities available to take a shower provided by the restaurant. Then it's party-party-party! With karaoke and party games and all the beer you can drink. 

If you haven't already registered then you can do so on the day, but at this stage the chances of getting your choice of T shirt are pretty slim as we are already almost at the 150 cap which was declared for registrations. We will do our best to accommodate late regos but it may take us a while! Meanwhile those who have registered include all your favorite hashers from SH3 and HH3 plus a generous contingent of runners from other chapters in Thailand and overseas and some SH3 runners from way back when, with whom to renew old friendships. 

One more word about Saturday's run. As things stand there will be no transport from the Hot Bread Shop to the runsite as both the Beer Truck Driver and the Beer Butch will be going to Thung Jaeng early and not via the HBS. So could anyone who needs transport to the runsite from Songkhla please add a comment to this post or let Egghead know in advance and we will get something organised.

Sunday's HH3 run details will no doubt emerge in due course and will be posted here later. 

1999

This week's penultimate run in SH3's second millennium (and yes, the millennium does end in 2000!) is being set by our very own prince, Not the Full Shilling, with his princess and the royal mutt in close attendance. Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1999, Saturday, November 2, 2019, 4:00 p.m.

Hares: Not the Full Shilling, Worm and Mai Dtem Baht
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 10k to the Nam Noi traffic lights and turn left for 3.6 km, then turn right just after Wat Prutoh for 750 m. Turn left for 1 km then right at the hash sign for about 250 m to the run site at 7°01'54.8"N 100°33'10.7"E. Click here for Google Maps pin. If you are coming up Poonakan from the PSU direction, take the left turn opposite Wat Thung Nai at about 6 km (or if coming from Wat Keow Kloy, the turning is on the right at about 5 km) and go 3.5 km along Th. Prutoh-Thungnai, then turn right for 1km etc. Please note that the start of the run will be at 4:00 p.m. to avoid losing people after dark again!

Sunday's (November 3) HH3 run is to be set by Syntax Error, China Doll, Double Door etc. The location is out behind Ban Phru: from the Klong Wa intersection of Kanjanavanit Road and Route 43 beyond Macro, take Kanjanavanit Road south for 4 km and turn left at a set of traffic lights into Th. Klongyathai. Follow the road for 4.2 km then turn left at the hash sign for 1.3 km to the run site at 6°56'30.7"N 100°30'45.9"E. Map below or click here for Google Maps pin.
Meanwhile, Friday (1st November) there is a quiz night happening at Oscar Bar at 8:00 p.m. with the qvizmeister being Koko. Come along and support your favorite version of the hash team, or better still make your own team and help make Koko's effort worthwhile.

Lest we forget...

In all the excitement about the up-coming 2000th run, let it not be forgotten that SH3 will celebrate its 38th birthday this Saturday. So to help us remember, the run will be a beer-token run with the short and long runs carefully planned so that everybody should get a crack at finding some tokens before the beer stop at which they will be redeemable, with any excess being carried forward to be used later at the run site. There will also be a few special down-down beer tokens to hunt for on the final section of the run and to top it all off, Only a Yolk will be producing a vat of khao soi with all the usual trimmings to be demolished before the circle.

Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run # 1998, Saturday, October 26, 2019 4:15 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and Harram
Misdirections. From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 13.8k to the traffic lights just beyond Thung Wang and turn right for 1k then left at the hash sign for 500m to the run site at  7° 3'8.28"N 100°38'17.82"E. From Hatyai, get to Tha Kham and head east for 5.8k to the big tree then bear left and go 2k to a set of traffic lights at which turn right for 400m. then right at the hash sign for 500m to the run site.  Click here for Google Maps' pin.

As the nights are now drawing in and after narrowly avoiding losing a couple of runners last week, we need to start the runs a bit earlier, so this week's run will be a 4:15 p.m. k.o. but if this causes anyone a problem please let someone know. This is particularly relevant if you are going to do the short run as that will be an A-B involving transport to the A site so don't be late.

Also, and again bearing in mind our experience with our intended host-land-owner last weekend, please park considerately. There is not a huge amount of space at the run site but parking on the side of the road is feasible and to be preferred to carving up the ground between the rubber trees if the ground is still wet. Equally however, if you do park on the road make sure that there is enough space left for vehicles to pass by.

Finally, with the 2000th run now only 2 weeks away, Hash Cash will be happy to accept payment of your registration fee either at the SH3 or HH3 run this weekend or failing that, next weekend, and if you haven't already registered but would like to do so, registrations with guaranteed on-the-day T shirt rights are still open. But after this week there is no guarantee of getting the size you order on the day and you will have to take pot luck in size availability after the actual run.

HH3's runsite on Sunday is illustrated in the map below, or if you prefer: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right at Wat Khun Thong then go 5k and turn left at the hash sign and follow the road/track for about 1.6k to the run site. From Hatyai, get to Tha Kham and head East for 4.3k then turn right at the hash sign. The hares are Sex Printer bin Laden, Beanie Abdul Karim. Sound Chef Mohd Kassim and Gu Man Thong, who is not in the picture! Click here for Google Maps' pin.

What happened in 1997?

Well, Britain handed back Hong Kong to the Chinese, Tony Blair became Prime Minister and Princess Di was killed in a car crash....

No, no! Not that 1997! Run 1997! Nothing special - just an average run: where we were ordered to vacate the run site by an irate owner threatening to call the police but then found a much better run site; where the anticipated influx from HH3 didn't really happen but where we were mighty grateful to those who did turn out in the rain to support the woefully inadequate turn out from SH3 regulars; where the long run (green-red-green above) went up the hill by the most direct route - over rocks and through thorn bushes causing the normally unflappable Buk Toy to opt for the short run (in green above); where Yardo saved the day by waiting for two HH3 runners who would otherwise have been left up the hill in the dark, and where the hares were eventually forgiven for all the pain by finding a lovely way down the hill which will no doubt feature in future runs in this neck of the woods when someone else is brave enough to try to set a run there. But all's well and all that sort of stuff. Back at the new improved runsite there was a mountain of food which Only a Yolk had just  whipped up after coming home from the HH3 outstation and the damp conditions, late finish and absence of a GM caused the circle to be cancelled which meant that due praise and scorn in equal measures were not handed out to the hares, Stick Insect and All Black for an eventful and ultimately highly enjoyable run.

Outstationing!

This weekend, HH3 and SH3 swap slots with the HH3 outstation run taking place on Saturday and the SH3 run following on Sunday. The HH3 outstation run is at the same runsite as the HH3 run 3 weeks ago  illustrated above. For the verbally inclined: Take the road to Hatyai Airport and immediately before the security check at the entrance, turn right onto the 4037 for 300m then follow the road left as it becomes the 4045 and go 2.7k along the perimeter of the airport. Follow the road for 1k as it turns left, right and left again then take the first right turning (5045) and follow that road for about 14k until it meets the 5071. Turn left for 2k then turn left at the hash sign and follow the road/track for about 600m to the run site at 6°53'33.5"N 100°14'15.3"E Click here for a Google Maps pin. 
The run itself is advertised as starting at 3:00 p.m. and there is a car rally preceding it which will start from the Rama V statue in Hatyai Park at about 8:30 a.m. Anyone wanting to do the car rally would be well advised to contact Sex Printer pronto to register interest as there is likely to be a get-together on Friday evening at which stickers etc. will be distributed.

SH3's run will take place on Sunday, 20th October and the details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run # 1997, Sunday, October 20, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Stick Insect and All Black
Misdirections: From the Samrong traffic lights at the Kao Seng intersection near Rajapath, take the Hatyai (Kanjanawanit) road for 4.8k and. turn left through the temple archway for Wat Bang Daan. Go 100m. Turn right immediately over the bridge (before the wat) and follow the concrete road for 700m to the runsite on the right. From Hatyai Go 1.7k. past the New Yala Road-Koh Yoh fly-over. Turn right towardsWat Bang Daan and go 100m. Turn right immediately over the bridge (before the wat) and follow the concrete road for 700m to the runsite on the right at 7° 8'12.0"N 100°35'28.35"E. Click here for Google Maps pin

SH3 2000th run

Could anyone who is intending to come to the 2000th run on November 9th but has not so far given their name to me please do so today by commenting on this post (or by e mail or on the SH3 Facebook Messenger page) The registration fee of 250 Baht for named SH3 runners does not need to be paid until the beginning of November but we need to order T shirts this week so we really need to have a good idea of numbers.

Registration will remain open right up to the day but anyone registering later than today will have to take their chance on the availability of the T shirt.

Wear a yellow T shirt...

HH3 have asked that if possible could attendees at today's HH3 run wear a yellow T shirt?



... just passing on the message!

Hare raising!

This week, SH3's trusty Hare Raiser does what he was elected to do (not that we told him that at the time!) set runs when no one else steps up to do so!

Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1996, Saturday October 12, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Not the Full Shilling, Worm and Mai Dtem Baht
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k then right at Wat Keow Kloy into Poonakan for 1.2k and turn left  for 500m to the runsite on the left at 7.019139° 100.568958°. From the other end of Poonakan, the turning is 9.8k and is on the right.

HH3's run on Sunday will be in Songkhla from somwhere in the vicinity of the naga's head statue up at the end of the peninsula north of Kao Teng Guan. The precise runsite location has not yet been announced but will be added later. The format is a run which is likely to involve teams and collecting things for prizes. There will then be the usual food and circle and for those who want to party, the fun will go on late into the night with camping for anyone who doesn't fancy the drive home. There will however not now be a full moon run following the HH3 run as after recces, both the HH3 hares and the prospective HFMH3 agreed that setting two runs on the same day in that area that don't intersect was next to impossible.

Sai Kao...now with added HH3

Geddit? Geddit? Oh, never mind. 

This week's SH3 run is from behind Ban Sai Kao on the track out to the waterfall. Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1995, Saturday October 5, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and doggies.
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right at Wat Khun Thong for 3.5k then turn left immediately after the big tree. (If coming from Hatyai get to Tha Kham and head east for 5k then turn right just before the big tree). After 150m bear right and follow signs through the village for 850m to a T junction and turn left for 200m then turn right and follow the road/track for 1.1k to the run site just up the track on the right at 7.024685°N 100.619107°E. Click here for a Google Maps pin. For vehicles with low ground clearance there is a flat parking area available a little further along the main track on the left.
HH3's run on Sunday is being set by Sex Printer, Toy Boy and Syntax Error from just off Poonakan Road in the turning on the left (from Wat Keow Kloy) at 4.8k (or 6.2k up from the other end - the second right turning after Wat Thung Ngai). Click here for Google Maps pin or see the map below. 

And don't forget that this Friday evening there is a quiz night at the under-new-management Oscars Bar with Eightball posing the questions and Hot Buns as the new mein hostess. The quiz starts at 8 p.m. or thereabouts and rumor has it that previous advice notwithstanding, this will be Toolbox, a.k.a. Pui's last night in Songklhla so just in case you  have missed either of the two previous opportunities to say goodbye, come along and do so on Friday!

Finally, as everyone should know by now, SH3's 2000th run will be happening on 9th November and there will be  a special run and a party to follow at the Thung Jaeng restaurant on the new Yala road. The registration fee will include a T shirt and dinner following the circle with free beer and soft drinks all evening.  This week will be your first chance to register for the event and Songkhla and Hatyai H3 runners will enjoy special reduced rates depending on status. Registrations can be made either at the SH3 or the HH3 runs this weekend or next weekend. After that registrations will be accepted but you may have to wait for your T shirt.

What's eating Bob?

This weeks' SH3 run is being set by... go on, guess!
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1994, Saturday, September 28, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Not the Full Shilling,  Worm and Mai Dtem Baht
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k  then turn right (at Wat Keow Kloy into Poonakan Rd.) and go 5k then turn left just before Wat Tung Ngai (or if coming from the other end of Poonakan, the turning is 6k on the right just after the wat). Follow the road for about 3.2k and turn right at the hash sign for 1.2k to the run site at 6°59'20.9"N 100°32'50.7"E -  click here for Google Maps pin.

HH3's run on Sunday is being set by Nong Golf, Yeo Guan, Sound Chef and Sex Kapook from a run site about 20k west of Hatyai Airport at 6°53'33.5"N 100°14'15.3"E; click here for a Google Maps pin or follow the map below.

Finally Little Tool and Toolbox will be saying goodbye again (and they really mean it this time!) on Friday evening at Oscars Bar. Come along and help Little Tool to fly off to Qatar with a hangover. No quiz, no free food, no strippers, just good company and beer to cry into!

This weekend's runs

A picture is worth a thousand words and a good map is even more valuable... Never mind, written instructions will just have to do! Details of SH3's run this week are;
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1993, Saturday September 21, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Buk Toy and Sex Sprinter
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right at Wat Khun Thong then go 5k and turn left at the hash sign and follow the road/track for about 1.6k to the run site. From Hatyai, get to Tha Kham and head East for 4.3k then turn right at the hash sign.

Sunday's HH3 run is being held at Egg Towers and will be set by the Egg family in a rather belated celebration of Egghead's accession to the ranks of the academically unemployable. Anyone who missed his late appearance at HH3 two weeks ago in his finery will get another chance at a selfie with yer man in the gown but be early as the run will start at 4:00 p.m. and particularly if you want to do the short run you will need to be there on time to catch the transport to the start of the run. Egg Towers is loosely speaking as per the map below or for those who like to read their directions: from Hatyai take Kanjanawanit road towards Songkhla and turn right at the Kuan Hin traffic lights (13k from the Ko Hong intersection or 6k past the Nam Noi traffic lights). From Songkhla take the old Hatyai road for 4k and turn left at the traffic lights just  past the PTT station, then go 5.2k and turn right through the Borogam temple arch. Go ahead for 150m then bear right and go 300m keeping the temple wall on your left. At a T junction turn left and after 50m turn right. Park off the road on either side of the track.

.... not quite Groundhog Day!

I think you could say though, that the country between the new east-west road & Route 43 has been well and truly used & abused. We probably could squeeze a Full Moon run out of the area in a month or three, but we may have to let the ground fallow for a well, as well as giving the hard working local farmers a break. And a chance to pick up the rest of the shreddy!

Go back and do it again!

This week's SH3 run is from the same runsite as last week's run and features the same hare. The details are therefore:


Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1992, Saturday September 14, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hare: Yardstick
Misdirections: From Songkhla, take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k past the Ko Yor intersection, turn left and go 10.6k (i.e. 2.8k past Wat Khao Kloi and about 350m before Wat Noen Phichit). Turn left at the hash sign and proceed 2.4k to the end of the bitumen, then turn right for 250m to the runsite, the co-ordinates of which are: 6°59'55"N 100°36'17"E. Click here for a Google Maps pin.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Beanie and friends from the run site at 7°01'52.4"N 100°35'02.4"E: From the Tha Kham crossroads head south for about 1.2k and turn left or from Wat Keow Kloy head north for about 700m and turn right. Follow the road for about 600m to the run site on the right. Map below.

Full moon September

This month's full moon run happens tomorrow, Thursday September 14th 2019 at 7:00 p.m. The hare is Jing Reed, a.k.a. Not the Full Shilling and the run site is just past Wat Keow Kloy.
Misdirections: From Songkhla take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8.7k, then turn right just after the CPAC facility to the runsite in the rubber at 7°01'05.8"N 100°34'57.6"E. From Hatyai, get to Tha Kham and head south for 2.7k then turn right etc.
Usual stuff applies: bring a hand/head light if you intend to run and some food to share if you think you will be hungry. Full moon special brew will be on sale at 40 Baht a can but if you want to bring your own beer and share it with your mates, that's ok.

The road to....

Nowhere?

Apparently not! Whereas this inviting looking road used to just "peter" out into nothing, recent developments have changed it into the highway to hash heaven, which is what your Saturday hare...(s...watch this space) will be exploring this week. Details are:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1991, Saturday September 7, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hare: Yardstick
Misdirections: From Songkhla, take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k past the Ko Yor intersection, turn left and go 10.6k (i.e. 2.8k past Wat Khao Kloi and about 350m before Wat Noen Phichit). Turn left at the hash sign and proceed 2.4k to the end of the bitumen, then turn right for 250m to the runsite, the co-ordinates of which are: 6°59'55"N 100°36'17"E, or if you prefer: N6.9986° E100.6047°, or click here for a Google Maps pin.
Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Sex Printer and heavy (or light) friends. The runsite is the one from which GG got stung, which seems to identify it in most people's minds, but in case you want something more scientific: from Poonakan, turn at Wat Tungnai (5k from Wat Keow Kloy on the right, 6k from the other end on the left) and go 2.8k to the runsite on the right at 7.029176° N 100.545478°E. Alternatively, get to the Nam Noi traffic lights and turn left (from Songkhla - right from Hatyai) and go 3.6k then turn right at Wat Prutoh and follow the road for 1.4k to the runsite on the left. Map below. BUT (and it's a big but!) if you are planning on coming from the PSU end of Poonakan, don't forget that the PSU graduation ceremony is taking place at the convention center with a long name so it would be best to avoid the bottom end of Poonakan around 4 p.m. and bear in mind that there may also be some other road closures around that time affecting Kanjanawanit (old Hatyai) road as the princess makes her way home after the ceremony.

Finally, don't forget that there is a quiz night this Friday (6th September) at Oscar Bar with Bob, a.k.a. Not the Full Shilling, making his debut as quiz master. The SH3 team will be trying to repair the damage done to their Teflon image last time round when the Baldies, not to put too fine a point on it, creamed, wiped the floor, stuffed and/or roundly beat them depending on your taste in euphemisms. The quiz should start at around 8:00 p.m. with Mein host and hostess Little Tool and Toolbox enlivening what could be their last quiz with snacks and appetizers, reasonably priced beer and the sheer magnitude of their massive personalities! What more do you need?

Saturday's SH3 runsite; now with added HH3!

As you can see, Saturday's runsite as illustrated by those nice Google people currently  has a kind of rustic not to say riparian feel to it although parking may be a little tricky and a pair of wellies might be the ideal footwear! But maybe the hares will be arranging for the water to be pumped out and for earth-moving equipment to get rid of all those unsightly rocks and trees to give us a nice flat runsite in time for the run, details of which are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1990,  Saturday, August 31, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Not the Full Shilling and Worm
Misdirections: From The Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k then turn right into Poonakan at Wat Keow Kloy for 4.2k and turn right (about 200 meters past the football field) for 210 meters to the runsite on the right. From the bottom end of Poonakan, the turning is 6.8k on the left. Click here for Google Maps pin.
HH3's run this week is being set by Robocop and anonymous friends and the run site seems likely to be that used by WiWi and Eightball for SH3 run 1982, for which, without wishing to tempt fate, the coordinates are:7.068413°N 100.510201°E.  From the Nam Noi traffic lights on the old Hatyai road, turn right (if coming from Songkhla, left from Hatyai) for 550m then turn left and follow the road for about 1.6k to the runsite on the edge of the swamp.

Finally, don't forget that there is a farewell party for Toolbox and Little Tool (a.k.a. Pui and Mark) at Oscars Bar tonight (Friday, August 30th) starting at 7:00 p.m.  Come along and commiserate at the departure from Songkhla of two of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet!

1989

Here is yesterday's SH3 run, 6.9k long run in green-red-green) and 4.7k short run (all green - see below for a relive version) so failing to hit the golden ratio. But everyone seemed to enjoy avoiding the worst (or best depending on your viewpoint) of the hills as the long run never went over 100m with the short run topping out at 60m unless you were the unlucky person who found the single F. The beer stop managed to get almost everyone together apart from Superpig and Hell's Nurse who discovered that it weas not included on the medium run (whatever that was!) But a good turnout for a change with most people doing some kind of run and a raucus circle following at which Lot Ralai got a free renaming to Kam Rai courtesy of being the GM's offspring!

Yesterday's short run ...
https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39468900555

Running by the golden ratio

What do the Pyramids of Giza and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa have in common with Saturday's SH3 run? Quick answer: They are all designed using the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio of 1.618:1. It is commonly found in nature, and when used in a design, it fosters organic and natural-looking compositions that are aesthetically pleasing. So Saturdays long run will be exactly 1.618 times as long as the short run and the total of the two runs will be exactly 1.618 times as long as the long run alone. And if that isn't enough, there will be a (buy-your-own) beer stop as well! All in the name of setting an aesthetically pleasing run.

Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1989, Saturday, August 24, 2019, 4:30 p.m.

Hares: Egghead and Harram

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection, take the New Hatyai  road.for 8.5k and turn left for 1.1k, then turn left near the sala with the blue roof - picture below, for 700m to the run site on the right at N7.09490 E100.51858. If you are coming from the Nam Noi traffic lights on the old Yala road (where there will be no hash sign), the turning is 4.4 km and on the right, Oh,  and please try not to knock the old lady off of her bike!

Sunday's HH3 run is close to Na Mom on Route 43. The run site is at 
6°57'20.7"N 100°32'45.2"E or click here for a google maps pin. For oldies who prefer things in English, from the Old Hatyai road take the 4.7k left turn and follow the road past Wat Keow Kloy and Wat Nern Pijit for about 14k until it hits route 43. Turn right and go about 4.3k to the Nam Om traffic lights then go a further 550m and turn left for 200 m to the run site on the left. From Hatyai, take Route 43 left from the Khlong Wa intersection beyond Macro/Central Festival and go 8.5k to the Na Mom traffic lights and do a U turn, then come back 550 meters and turn left for 200m. The hares are Nong Gop and friends.