Hare: Jothi Rama
Location: Bukit Cahaya
Co-Hares: Robin Cox, Jimmy Leggett
Scribe: Dave Parks (disguised as Bob Sawyer)
Comic: Don Cheang
It is Boxing Day and the Xmas Tree is surrounded by torn wrapping paper and discarded ribbons. The kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it and beer has been removed from the fridge to make way for what is left of the turkey!!!! Can you believe that?
The dogs are getting restless and like any true hasher recalling a party the day before, I feel a little delicate. But it is Saturday, PH3 day. It is time for a little exercise and a few more beers with friends and hashers alike. I round up the dog, toss him in the back of the car, and we’re off.
No snow clouds to be seen anywhere but as I make my way to the run site day turns to night and the heavens open. In all the crashing and banging I did the U-turn in the run direction literally and drove back down the Guthrie corridor. Crap directions. Crap weather. What am I doing here. Drove through a 6” flood. Battled past idiots with no lights on. Negotiated fallen trees and got to the run site which was set up in the usual Bukit Cahaya run site that resembled a river. The beer truck was there on an island. Don was imitating Emilia looking officious with his clip board.
No GM or JMs to be seen by this scribe but the pack was off into the rain. Sadly large chunks of the oil palm here have succumbed to the bulldozer in the name of progress. More housing for the market that nobody wants.
Once off the road the trail hugged the adjacent small stream to avoid the main oil palm road. After crossing the stream via a bridge in crashing thunder the trail went up and over and back down again following a ridge into a gully where quite a few short cut. Another ridge and into a stream gully. Then back up again still on paper. More lightning and thunder, and rain. The horn could be heard in the distance kindly pumped by Dennis in the maelstrom. Following torn paper for 500m must have been a short cut then a nice trail in avoiding the adjacent deforestation.
Still raining the pack changed while Dog Shit chased some cows. A good run in terrible conditions. Cheers to the Hares!
Bob Sawyer lookalike.
Venue: Bukit Subang Estate (and jungle and reservoir)
Hare: Bob Sawyer
Co-hare: Aileen D
Scribe: Mother Sheep
Arrived at the run site nearly an hour before the run – must note for next week that can probably delay leaving the house by ½ hour. Canopies are already erected and the local worker – Whore Monger, ably supervised by a whole bunch of Chinamen was clearing the drains to remove large puddle created by earlier rain.
Hares are on the site at the start of the run to brief us that this run would go to the reservoir and you had two choices. You can either swim or go the long way around the fingers of the lake.
Run started on time and across the first ditch, which already splits the pack into a single file, through the first bit of mature palm oil and down the hill into the open where the first check breaks to the left. Across the flat section and up the ridge on the right hand side. (If we are going to the reservoir then this has to be an anti-clockwise loop). Backcheck at the bottom of the ridge, along the bottom of the ridge then up the ridge, down to the bottom, up to the top again. There is definitely a theme to the first part of this run. Over the ridge – backcheck to path on top of the ridge leading into secondary jungle. This was the last check I actually saw, and in fact spent most of the rest of the run mainly by myself somewhere nearer the back to the front of the pack. Along the ridge then down to a stream and back up again. Down to a stream then back up again. Down to a stream and back up again. Eventually we reach the reservoir a long way from the dam wall. This suited those with a long right leg and a short left leg – for the rest of us it was a right hand sideways slope, punctuated every 10m by a fallen tree Over a tree, Under a tree, Through a tree – theme for second part of the run. For those inclined you could take three swims and loose a good few hundred metres of the struggle along the bank. However not sure how heavy a camel pack is when soaking wet on a back while swimming – I took the long way around as did the majority near the back of the pack, not sure about the FROPS.
Eventually completed the assault course and arrived at the slide down besides the security fence – even if you had cleaned off with a swim just before this was really only one way down – on the back side.
Then it was the directly home.
Tried to give the hares a friendly Christmas hug when I got back but they complained I was too muddy – they chose the route not me! Aileen D was saying that only men complain and that the women do not. That was before Screw Ewe eventually made it back and promptly walks into the circle saying “That was a terrible run don’t you all agree.”
Numerous charges and quite a few guests before a Gentlemen dressed in a red coat, red trousers, red hat all with white trimming arrives and diverts all the kids. Emilia did he pay his RM 35 Guest Fees? With the kids diverted the women go and form an orderly queue for the food followed by the men. Circle part two take place after the food, which was well received and liked. The hares were honoured but as a gazetted run it was not formally judged, however the general opinion as always was that it was somewhere between a 10 weeker and a medal run if it had been judged.
A very good afternoon and evening, thanks to the organizing committee and hares. Merry Christmas.
ON ON and Merry Christmas
Mother Sheep on behalf of Charles “Santa Claus” Lee who is currently in snowy Lapland (or was that England) sorting out his reindeer for Thursday Night.
Venue: Beranang – Bandar Tasik Kesuma Industrial Area
Hare: Charles Lee
Co-Hare: John Dodgson
Scribe: Barry Sage (in place of recalcitrant Mike “FGB” Clarke)
Before starting, I want it to be clear that I’m writing this report as a favour to Emilia and on condition of FGB’s arse spending considerable time on ice upon his return from Oz, the miserable scribe report-dodging b*****d!
More seriously, before starting the run, the hash remembered & paid its sincere respects to our recently departed member Ron Brooks with a minute’s silence, may he rest in peace.
As we then set off, someone was heard saying “oh this is a very flat area – no hills”. Later if anyone had owned up to this complete crap, they would still be on ice. It certainly wasn’t flat & my god was it hot!
It was also a fast run, through quite an open mixture of palm & rubber plantations plus some forest, essentially over an area bounded by 2 rivers (neither of which we went through, which was a bit of a pity given the heat – did I mention that it was *?!%ing hot). Checks were relatively straightforward, except for the last which split the pack up a bit. Fortunately, we encountered no ‘Nam-style mantraps such as had afflicted the hare on his recce. Frontrunner was back in just over 1 hour 30.
Most enjoyed the run, although it was noticeable that runners were rather happier than walkers. The co-hare did mention that they had considered setting a drinks stop, but couldn’t be bothered (he’ll be joining FGB on ice if I have anything to do with it).
Post run drinks were enjoyed in a beautiful, cool Malaysian evening (it had been really, really hot!) and the circle was convened by the GM. Bomoh Mike Hawkins charged a number of people behaving out of character, including yours truly for showering after the run (real hashers don’t shower) and Bob (Baarb) for actually running (only because his wife wasn’t and therefore he wouldn’t be shown up). Kojak was also called for allowing his girlfriend to pay his subs (my vote for man of the year).
For a change, on-on was at Zuan Kee on the Kajang Industrial Estate (one never tires of the wild boar curry), where beer (home-made and not) was provided by the hares. Baarb was again punished, this time for smelly shorts (although this may have been at the runsite – memory’s a little hazy) and he then in turn called Rambo for using sense of smell to navigate on the run rather than looking where he was going which resulted in a gashed forehead (so enhancing his looks).
Finally, the run was judged a t-shirt by the pack, which unfortunately meant that our hare, Charles Lee, needed to take off his shirt to change.
Another great hash day.
Hare: Mike Clarke
CoHare: Graham
Location: Kuala Kubu Baru
Scribe: Wolfgang Druba
Run directions not showing the preferred hassle free race track from Bkt Beruntung to Rasa. Mike, the hare got an on down for that.
Rating > 3 / 10
Runsite well known from HashChallenge, Octoberfest and other runs – the first one who set a run here was Dan P. Well known area also by co-hare Graham.
> 3 / 10 for novelty of the area
> 8 / 10 for parking space.
Run itself followed option 1 out of 3: up the valley (HC – trail). Up, up, turned right after 20 min to the top, missed the gentle path on the ridge and instead headed down left slippery into secondary jungle, up slippery in a stream, then 200 m elevation down on a steep knee killing ball bearings path and up the same elevation on the opposite site of the valley. Down again back home.
Length 7 km apx. First runner in 1:40. Pack spread, last one back at 7:20
> 8 / 10 for scenery;
> 7 / 10 for run length,
> 1 / 10 for smart setting (all checks were broken within a minute or two)
It makes a 5 / 10, meaning an average - for the good runners a work-out run. The hare missed the chances of setting an excellent run with some more challenging checks and loops within a great area. A T-shirt was awarded.
On a side note: it needs a 9 or 10/10 to reward a medal. But as our committee after 20 years having this famous rating system, couldn’t manage 4 ratings, they decided in their utter wisdom some years ago to reduce it down to 3 ratings. Now they got the same problem of controversy with those 3 J : T shirt or none…
When will they decide to get rid of ratings at all …. Or back to the ole glory of PHHH with a medal award for superior efforts?