 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: tadcul@yahoo.co.uk phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 31 August 2014 LONG SON ISLAND - "Independence Day minus 2" Lots of new and familiar faces at registration today and particularly happy to see some more of our Russian returnees fresh from summer holidays. There was a slight shower but nothing that our newly-named "Four Seasons" couldn't handle - so with her control over the skies, we settled down for a pleasant day's Hashing in overcast but dry weather. The chariot parked outside the Bang Lang restaurant on Long Son Island (turn left at end of access road) and Rowdy Water explained the trail and "things to watch out for" in his Chalk Talk - then it was "On On" along the road for 80 metres before turning right along a narrow lane towards the mountain (of course there's a mountain - this is VTH3!). Going up the mountain was a winding trail over mostly dirt track, grass and bush, with plenty of vegetation following the rainy season. Then it was across the ridge over the top (extensive views to the south and east for the camera buffs), and then "Down Down" the boulder-strewn side of the mountain to the residential area, turn right to the cemetery through the narrow back lanes, and then out to the main road and back to the restaurant: A to A (which everyone did - but some with more difficulty than others!). We were greeted by Ice Water's baguettes with meat and pickle, supplemented by the Russian contingent's bread, salted pork and cucumber and the "obligatory" bottle of vodka! Luckily for the less hard-core, the eskies were brimming with San Miguel Gold and Silver plus softies and water. The Circle was called and Hares Rowdy Water and SamSon (in absentia) were awarded a rare "maximum" score of 10/10 by GeoffP, who was particularly impressed with the trail marking and variety of terrain. Virgins Son, Yen and Nhi were "deflowered" with the VTH3 welcome song (and suitable libation); returnees Black Hawk, Tiny Tim, Aslan and Space Cadet were welcomed back; sinner Rosa Le was charged (surely to be named Bo Peep for her meanderings - or did she just go shopping at the market, we wonder?) as well as SamOnHash and Dolphin for "foot faults" (how on earth did they manage in those flimsy sandals?). Then it was time for the remaining three Guyatts to be Hash-named: wife and mother Tracy will henceforth be known as "Moneypenny" (by democratic acclaim) for her readiness to handover VN Dong, son Jaiden the computer whizz as "Herbie Vargo" (google it!), and daughter Savannah finally decided to accept "Rainbow" (or was it Sparkle, or Sunflower, or...). Moneypenny was then joined by older daughter Four Seasons for a VTH3 version of the "ice bucket challenge" - suitably roped and "piped". To the Circle's delight, husband and father Big Bear then ceremoniously tipped an esky full of ice and water over the unsuspecting pair! (see photo gallery below). And that was a suitable climax for another fun-filled day in the life of VTH3! STOP PRESS: As promised in the original run report posted Monday, Hareraiser Rowdy Water has marshalled his troops and no less than three experienced Hares and one 'apprentice' were deployed to set a trail on Small Mountain for Sunday (see NEXT RUN)! With that amount of effort, it's sure to be an interesting trail. At this stage, however, the only clues they'll give us is that it's basically "Up and over the mountain then through a gate, down through lots of 'friendly' vegetation and steps, then through a gap and out onto Ha Long for a pleasurable hike back to the twin goldfish in the park." So there you have it (sort of...)! We'll meet on Sunday, as usual, at the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. On On!  Reporting: Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, SamSon Hash Flash: Uncle. Circle photos: Anti VTH3 #644 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>> 
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 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: tadcul@yahoo.co.uk phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 24 August 2014 GO GANG - around the lakes We could hear the thunder during registration, but the rain failed to eventuate once again as our 35 Hashers journeyed to Go Gang and dismounted between the two bridges. A chalk talk by co-Hare Rowdy Water and off we went through the local countryside. A few wrong turns later, we encountered the first lake and then it was on down to the beach. Yet another lake was circumvented in fine style as the Hashers communicated with cries of "On On" echoing around the picturesque area, much to the bemusement of locals who probably saw more visitors on this one day than for a very long time! After an extremely pleasant afternoon's "stroll" through the unusually (for VTH3!) flat countryside, we eventually found ourselves back near the main road to Long Son Island, and our bus. The eskies were unloaded and the usual ice-cold San Miguels, softies and water were devoured by thirsty Hashers as they tucked into the snacks provided by Anti and Ice Water: baguettes, hand-made garlic sausage, imported cheese, bread, cucumber and cha ca (fish cake) - snacking in grand style! The Circle was called and Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water were awarded 8/10 by SamSon, which included added points for "difficulty in marking". Hash virgins Dolphin, Jessica and Norwegian family Tor-Erik, Camilla, Erik, Ida and Kaja (Norway) introduced themselves, as did visitor Jazzbo (Brisbane Hash). Returnees Mapdraw and Van Anh were welcomed back from "unofficial leave", then this week's highlight - the naming of Chad and daughter Summer, who will henceforth be known in Hash Circles as BB ("Big Bear") and Four Seasons for their respective merits of "spotting and downing anything that moves, a la Bear Grylls" and "one season (Summer) ain't enough for the girl who does it all"! And then it was time to head back to Offshore Bar 1 to offload the paraphernalia in preparation for next week. STOP PRESS: Hares Rowdy Water and SamSon have confirmed the trail on Long Son Island for next Sunday - start and finish at Bang Lang restaurant, via the mountain and local village, so don't forget your camera to record the scenery! We'll meet on Sunday, as usual, in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. On On!  Reporting: Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, Ice Water Hash Flash: Uncle. Circle photos: Jazzbo, Anti VTH3 #643 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>>   PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: tadcul@yahoo.co.uk phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 17 August 2014 BIG MOUNTAIN - 'Over the top via Theme Park and Big Buddha' It was back to the taxi fleet this week for a short ride up Le Loi and around the corner to 750 Tran Phu (before the fishing village). A real mixture of nationalities and backgrounds disembarked for Rowdy Waters' chalk talk in a nearby lane: England, Australia, Denmark, Vietnam, Ireland, Russia and The Netherlands superbly complemented by visitors David and Christian (Germany) and Kick My Balls and Narita Cheater (Japan) - "Welcome one and all"! The wet season seems to be well and truly over now, so it was another hot, sunny day with head coverings and sunscreen highly recommended! And then up we went (of course - isn't 'up' the only direction we know in VTH3!): many, many steps leading up to a pagoda, behind which were many, many more steps. In all fairness, though, we must admit these steps were much easier to negotiate than some we know on Big Mountain! We eventually came to a junction where the steps changed to a track through varying types of vegetation and terrain, with clear views of the shipyards and northern Vung Tau city along the way. Then it was more track, a few boulders, and a bit more track - always in an upward direction of course, until we could hear the happy sounds of tourists enjoying the various attractions of the theme park, which signalled the top of the mountain had been reached! Time to relax and take in the scenery, including "Big Buddha", before sneaking through the security gate and on down the southern side of the mountain. Many views on this side, including Small Mountain and Vung Tau Bay, before we finally emerged at street level and headed towards the Down Down location near Front Beach. Good FRBs Ronald Reagan and Ice Water had volunteered to collect the eskies from Offshore Bar 1, and the ice coldies were put to good use washing down some different food - Anti had volunteered to look after catering duties this week to give Ice Water a well-deserved rest. So we tucked into mini-baguettes, imported 'pate au naturel' and Cheddar from Saigon, with diced vegie salad - yum yum! In fact the "yummy yumming" went on so long that by the time Chippy had delivered even more baguettes(!), the coastal traffic had built into such a crescendo that it would have been virtually impossible to conduct an effective Circle - so we didn't! This decision also recognised that some Hashers had other pressing commitments including the charity auction at Matilda's to which we had donated an autographed, framed 600th run t-shirt - so, as per "recommended Hash decision-making 101", we took the easy way out by postponing the Circle until next week and giving everyone "an early mark"! We can record here, however, that if the Circle had gone ahead there would have been an "above average to good" trail rating for Hares Rowdy Water, Ice Water and apprentice GeoffK (not to be confused with GeoffP); welcomes to those visitors from Germany and Japan mentioned above, as well as returnees David, GeoffP and Rosa Le; 'deflowering' for Hash Virgins Christian and Jasper; and at least some 'half pipe' punishments for those who chose to supplement their trek to the Down Down by taxi (Chippy and Tu Bok) and Honda Om (Rosa Le and Capt Hornblower), not to mention some severe "foot faults" for David and Christian who somehow managed to negotiate the mountain in sandals that had definitely seen better days! Thanks to Hieu, Live Wire, David and Christian who helped Anti and Uncle return everything to its rightful place in Offshore Bar 1 - all ready for next Sunday! STOP PRESS: Talking of next week, Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water have now confirmed a 100% new trail in the Go Gang area (the two bridges on the new'ish "short-cut" road to Long Son Island). The trail goes through the many fish and prawn farms and is fairly long and flat with not a lot of shade, so headgear and sunscreen is recommended. There's even a beach "for the intrepid"(!) We'll meet as usual on Sunday in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. On On!  Reporting: Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, Ice Water, GeoffK Hash Flash: Uncle VTH3 #642 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>> SORRY, FOLKS - NO 'DOWN DOWN' OR TEAM PHOTO THIS WEEK (SEE REPORT ABOVE FOR DETAILS)
 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: tadcul@yahoo.co.uk phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 10 August 2014 NUI DINH - "eco" trail from bridge to lake and beyond... Some more familiar faces returned this week as we defied the weather gods to enjoy not one, but two full days without rain! However, it seemed at first that different gods were conspiring against us as the Nui Dinh mountain access road was completely blocked by buses as hordes of Vietnamese queued for the annual lunar calendar ancestor worship at the local pagoda - which coincided with a "Super moon", so it was a truly auspicious occasion! We had no choice but to dismount and hike uphill to our start point, which was fortunately not too much further up the road - having left our driver with the promise of "an extra bonus" if he somehow managed to get the bus to our finish point at the top of the mountain. A chalk talk at the bridge by Rowdy Water, and it was "On On" for young and old as we sped(?) along the rocky, woodland trail with the roaring waters of Angel Stream for accompaniment. Today's trail was comparatively flat by VTH3 standards, so Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water (H202 or 2H20?) decided to add a degree of difficulty by climbing a watch tower, much to the bemusement of Hashers passing below! On and on we went through lush undergrowth and many different kinds of vegetation, until we encountered what was to be the first of several water obstacles. Most managed this first one without too much difficulty as there was a fallen tree nearby, which afforded a precarious but dry crossing (although some of the younger Hashers, like Summer, decided to just get on with it and waded straight through!). Most also managed the next few "puddles" - but no-one made it across the waterfall without getting at least a little damp around the ankles! Finally, we emerged at the lake - so it was a sharp left at the coffee shop and another kilometre or so along the rutted dirt road to emerge at the end of the sealed road and our Hash Chariot (the promise of an "extra bonus" had done its job and the driver somehow managed to get through the literally scores of tourist buses further down the mountain, to deliver our precious eskies)! Lots of cold San Miguel and softies to wash down Ice Water's bread, pork and pickles, and then the Circle was called. The remarkably eco-friendly, "nature" trail was awarded an excellent score of 9.5/10 by GeoffK, who joined Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water for a well-deserved Down Down. Hash Virgins Khoa, Tam, Anh, Dat, Lily and Vy were welcomed. Ciprian and Vy were "joined together" for alleged "Sex on the Hash". Returnees SamOnHash, Tiny Rabbit and Kim were also welcomed back, and "symbolic sinners" Tracy and Jaiden were penalised for silent running (symbolic because they "took the hit" for the other guilty ones who still stayed silent, even in the Circle!). Rowdy Water decided that Uncle should demonstrate how the newly acquired "Half Pipe" works, and Do 'em up Deb (aka leader of the "Kho Samui mafia") also decided he needed another beer so he could drink it properly instead of pouring it all over his upturned face! And so another thoroughly enjoyable day came to a close, with the trip back to Vung Tau interspersed with various "housekeeping" announcements, including a reminder for everyone to review Vung Tau Hash on Trip Advisor to help our recruiting drive! (ed's note: Oops, more work to do before Trip Advisor will publish our entry - what this space!). STOP PRESS: Latest news just in is that the "Two Waters", accompanied by apprentice Hare GeoffK, have set a trail on Big Mountain for this Sunday - it starts over the back ("More taxis, anyone?"), up to the theme park and then down to street level much closer to home. It sounds very interesting and will hopefully give us yet another new Down Down location! We'll meet on Sunday, as usual, in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. You might need to look for us because it's Long Tan Day on Monday and the beer garden could be crowded! On On!  Reporting: Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, Ice Water Hash Flash: Uncle. Circle photos: Anti VTH3 #641 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>>  |
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