This could be the last time...

Ah, nostalgia! It ain't what it used to be. Which is much the same for Saturday's runsite behind Rong Rien Tan Khwai: it ain't what it used to be. Time was when we could use the area immediately adjacent to the road, but that has long since given way to an extension to the fish factory. And now it looks as if the quarry at the back is about to go the same way as the upper area is being actively flattened and is thus covered in a layer of moon dust, making it necessary to head down towards the lake to find refuge on Saturday for what could be the last time we are able to use this particular run site. Shame, for it has been a good stand by for when you couldn't think of anywhere else to set a run.
So, Saturday's details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1837, Saturday August 27th 2016, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and others
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 17.7k and turn right just past Tan Khwai School. After 800 meters, turn right and follow the orange dirt road for 200 meters then turn right into the quarry and follow the left hand track going down for about 150m to the runsite by the lake.

From Hatyai, get to the Tha Kham crossroads (accessible from the Nam Noi traffic lights on the old Songkhla road, go right/east for 7k; or from the Wat Keow Kloy end of Poonakan Road,go left/north for 2k) and head east for 6k, to the big tree at Ban Sai Kao, then carry straight on eastwards for another 3.5k to hit the old Yala road at Wat Khun Thong. Turn right for about 1.7k then turn right just past Tan Khwai School etc.

Sunday's HH3 run is again being set by Robocop who will be using a run site somewhere on the stretch of road between the big tree at Ban Sai Kao and Wat Khun Thong "opposite the quarry" (i.e the HH3/HFMH3 runsite two weeks back). More details as they emerge. Could be some interesting paper conflicts in store as this will be the fourth run in that area in the last 15 days!

Finally, as this is the end of the month there will be a quiz night on Friday 26th August at the Office Bar when Koko will be the quiz meister. Can't remember the last time the hash team managed to stave off defeat, but our luck's gotta change soon!

The Three Ridges Run #1836

The long run was 8.5kms including the checks & false trails, and went upwards just over 300m. The short run was 3.5kms long and 130m of ascent. On a recount 2 of the false trails were falsely broadcast and didn’t in fact exist, so the long run included 7 checks, 7 false trails & 3 check-backs, easy heh! The beerstop also didn’t materialise for the short run due to tardiness on the part of the beer truck driver. All in all, you just can’t trust the hare! Thankfully at least, no concrete was used for the run itself.

One final note, on completion of the run, could everyone please return all hash lanterns & lights, hooks, etc., to the lighting carry bag so they can be recharged for the next run.

Concrete directions

Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1836, Saturday, August 20, 2016, 4:30 p.m.

Hare: Yardstick 

Misdirections: From Songkhla:  Take the Old Yala road for 11km to the the traffic lights at Ang Thong, (NYR / OYR intersection) and proceed south on the Old Yala Road (OYR) for another 8.3km then turn right just before the road to the new mosque on the west side of the OYR (just past the large microwave tower on the east side of the OYR). Proceed 1.9km along the concrete road through the village following hash signs or paper, to the runsite on the concrete road.

From Hatyai:  take Route 43 East for 20.6km from the Klong Wa intersection (7.8km beyond the Phichit Road junction). Turn left at the SH3 sign for 3.4km along the concrete road, to the runsite on the concrete road.

What is this thing with concrete?

Sunday's HH3 run is being set by Robocop (weally, weally this week) and the run site is: From the Keow Kloy end go 7.5k down Poonakan  and turn left (Ban Nai Lai) for 1.5k then right for 150m and left towards the quarry (do not try to drive up unless you have a monster truck or a Sherman tank). rom Hatyai go up Poonakan for about 5.5k and turn right into Ban Nai Lai etc.

Finally, for those who don't know, SH3/HH3 have been asked if we are willing to host a run in 2018 for about 400 people travelling from Bangkok  by special train to Kuala Lumpur for the Mother Hash 80th birthday run. This is a similar venture to that which happened in 2006 with varying degrees of success. There will be a meeting tonight at Thung Jaeng to which all with views they want to express are welcome as are those who just want to come along to drink beer and enjoy the food.

Full Moon 130

Faced with avoiding or relocating Sunday's HH3 paper, the hare opted instead to avoid or relocate Saturday's SH3 paper instead, on the grounds that he at least knew where that was having laid it and also   having had some difficulty finding Sunday's paper on Sunday. The run therefore briefly followed Sunday's in trail before heading out across the road to the furthest point reached on Saturday's SH3 run (in grey above) which it then followed up the first little hill before taking a new direction away from the bigger hill which Saturday's run had included. The way home included a short stretch of Sunday's out trail so there was a good deal of recycling as well as some old favorite tracks which must have looked a bit different by torch-light as the pack managed to get lost at the 4th check in an area that we frequently visit from both sides of the hill. Overall distance as laid was about 6k without the F's and X's although GPS equipped hounds measured it at well over 7k with them. The total ascent was below 80m with the highest point reached at the first F about the same.. Meanwhile the short runners tackled 4.3k with about the same ascent and were home a good 30 minutes before the long runners.
The groundhog award goes to Short Screw, who managed to repeat his ice-rewarded performance on Saturday in reverse by cutting across from the X at the second check to the redundant F from Saturday's run despite the hares instructions not to go beyond any of the F's or X's;He claimed it was only 80 meters away but he was actually 250 meters beyond the X!

Shifting moon

This month's full moon run will, as foretold below, take place on Wednesday (17th August: 7:00 p.m.) and the hare is that Khai Jeow geezer; but the runsite has moved about 4k eastwards to the same runsite which was used for Sunday's HH3 run.
For the benefit of Songkhlites: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right just before Wat Khun Thong. Go 1k and turn right into the quarry. From Hatyai, get to Tha Kham then head Eastwards for about 6k to the big tree then go straight ahead for a further 2.5k and turn left into the quarry.
Usual stuff applies: bring a hand/head light of you intend to run (and there will be both long and short runs) and some food to share if you feel like it. GG has asked if a BBQ will be available and the answer is 'yes', so if you fancy bringing along some unfortunate dead animal, or selected bits thereof to immolate at the run site, feel free! Beer will be on sale at 40 Baht a can or you can bring your own and share it with your mates if you prefer.

1835: who was there and who wasn't!

Click it to read it!

A modest run failing to meet lofty aspirations

The idea was to set a run which enclosed an area of 4km² within a circuit of no more than 8k, which as resident mathematician, R2D2 confirmed was perfectly possible as long as the run was pretty much circular - which yesterday's run wasn't! Not even nearly so if Garmin's Mapsource © is to be believed which recorded a measly 1.4 km² within a circuit of 8.4k, reducing to about 7k without the 7 F's and 2 X's.The total ascent for the long run was about 200m with the maximum height at F5 above the beer stop, 120m. For most of the short runners, the green bit of the run was 4.5k and almost flat, but for All Black, Olive Oyle, Gabriel and Matum the run was closer to 6.5k as they missed the turn off and followed the long run round as far as the beer stop, which by then had been transported back at the runsite, before finding the short run paper  and following it backwards, only finally admitting defeat as darkness fell by making a phone call to say that they had just reached the sign telling them where the short and long runs divided, which they had missed the first time round. Happily the rescue vehicle was on hand to whisk them back to be iced for over-achievement. Other recipients of hash justice were Short Sex and Screw Printer who joined up the 3rd F and the 4th 360, without being on paper once, and hare, Egghead for failing to prevent the 4 lost souls from straying off paper at the great divide - tough!

Early warning that there is a full moon run in prospect on Wednesday of this week likely to be from somewhere at or adjacent to the Psycho Resort. Egghead will again the the hare and more information will be posted here by Tuesday latest.

Finally, today's hares have been changed into Sex Sprinter, Toy Boy and Star Soccer so it is safe to come to the run this afternon!

Out of the box

This week's SH3 run will  make up for lost space by attempting to enclose  4km²  inside a run no longer than last week's "small run" in a 1km² box. Impossible? Well. come along and see.
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1835, Saturday August 13, 2016, 4:30 p.m.
Hare: Egghead
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 16k and turn right at Wat Khun Thong then go 3.5k to the big tree at Ban Sai Kao  and turn left. Go straight ahead after 200m then follow the road through the village for about 700m to the run site on the grass football pitch (don't park on the new concrete pitch as this is used for football most evenings). If coming from Hatyai, from the Tha Kham crossroads, go east for 6k and turn right just before the big tree at Ban Sai Kao.
Sunday's (August 14th) HH3 is being set by Robocop and the run site is in the quarry on the Khun Thong/Sai Kao road, 1k from the old Yala road on the right if coming from Songkhla or 2.5k past the big tree on the left if coming from Hatyai.

Small run trapped in a box

The green line is a 1km square.

OK, I guess this one was a little too conceptual for its own good. I wanted to see if I could set a run more or less within one square kilometer. The answer is that you can, but that doesn't mean people will run it without shortcutting. Anyhow as set it was 8km with false trails and about 7.2km without, with a high point of 168m and total ascent of just under 200m. Most people came in right around the one-hour mark with the notable exception of the Eightball-Perky contingent who apparently did bits of both the short and long runs and took closer to 1:30. Afterwards there was beer and excellent kaeng kari kai from Only a Yolk.

The Beaver expands his habitat

In case you missed it, The Guardian reports that "Scotland wild beaver reintroduction trial 'an outstanding success'". Robbie Burns, author of the 1791 poem "Cock up your beaver", would be proud.

But closer to home Songkhla's own Beaver this Saturday expands into some new territory of his own. From what is believed to be a first-time runsite, he plans to explore a neglected corner of countryside more or less behind Wat Khao Kloi. You may recognize bits of it but there will be some surprises.

Songkhla Hash House run #1834, Saturday August 6, 2016, 4:30 p.m.

Hare: Beavershot

Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and then go left for 8k. At Wat Khao Kloi turn right into Punnakan Road and go 900m. Turn left onto the concrete road, and then right after 200m. The runsite is about 600m further on, after the concrete turns to dirt. Hatyai sourced hashers should look for the sign on the right 900m before the Wat Khao Kloi end of Punnakan then  follow the directions above. 

Sunday's HH3 hare is Sex Printer and the runsite will be familiar to those who were at Sex Sprinter's last run for SH3, as shown on the map below.

Or for the literal minded: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 6k to the Tha Kham crossroads then turn left for about 2k  and turn right at the hash sign and follow the track for about 1.5k until you hit the run site. Hatyaistas can get to Tha Kham either by heading North from Khai Kloi for 2k (and turning right) or by turning Right at the Nam Noi traffic lights on the old Songkhla road, for 7k (and going straight ahead).