 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 28 September 2014 SMALL MOUNTAIN - up, down, and all the way around! Beautiful weather once again this week, but many of the usual faces missed out on what was arguably our best trail for some time... An unusually small but super-enthusiastic "elite" crew set across the park and Front Beach area before regrouping behind the majestic military arms museum on the Lighthouse road, Small Mountain. As the photos show (thanks to Hash Flash Taffy!), we ploughed through a lot of different vegetation on the way up the hill, but then the trail became easier than expected as we circumnavigated the entire area - including the occasional pause to examine local artefacts. We enjoyed many views of the city and Vung Tau Bay as we followed trail-setter Ice Water and the all-important red eco-tape. It wasn't long before we encountered the next major challenge of the day: "On up, on up!" - and "on up" we certainly went! But we eventually emerged onto the Lighthouse road after an unusually long and somewhat "testing" trail around Vung Tau's iconic Small Mountain! And then it was "Down Down" to the ever-faithful goldfish in the park and Ice Water's delicious baguettes, meat and pickle, washed down with ice-cold silver and gold San Miguels, softies and mineral water. Co-Hare SamSon wasn't able to make the run itself, but had voluntarily transported the eskies from home base, Offshore Bar 1 - well done, that man! The Circle was called by duty Ring Master Ronald Reagan, and Jasper gave Hares Ice Water and SamSon a very well-received (and well-earned) 8/10! It should be noted at this stage that Ice Water was pardoned for being confused about the trail start because she had worked so hard all week to get everything organised with the new team. Hash Virgin Olly was welcomed for the second time (this time with beer!), then returnees Van Anh and her young cousin Minh were reintroduced. We bid "Au revoir and Good Luck" to Taffy and son Olly, who head over to Thailand for Taffy's marriage to Som before all returning to Vung Tau. Have a great time you guys - we look forward to your return! And that was it for another very pleasant day in the life and extremely colourful history of Vung Tau Hash! Given the circumstances of transition, we're delighted to thank those loyal Hashers who made the effort to support the new mismanagement team on their first tentative steps into a new era. In no particular order, many thanks to Ice Water, SamSon, Ronald Reagan, Taffy, Olly, Van Anh, Minh, Titanic, D&G, Basil, Viking and Jasper - you're all worth your weight in (San Miguel) gold, and your support is duly recorded in VTH3 archives as a shining example for those who will inevitably follow in your pioneering footsteps! STOP PRESS: SamSon and Ice Water have set a new, 6 km "Adventure Trail" on Big Mountain for this Sunday, 5 October - which sounds terrific! Meet as usual in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. Let's see if we can get even more Hashers to show their support for the enthusiastic new team on Sunday! On On!  Reporting: SamSon, Uncle Hares: Ice Water, SamSon Hash Flash: Taffy. Circle photos: SamSon VTH3 #648 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>> THIS IS THE CREW...  ...AND THIS IS WHERE THEY WENT: 5.5 KM UP AND AROUND SMALL MOUNTAIN!!!
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 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 21 September 2014 BIG MOUNTAIN - Rowdy Water's farewell run It was a 'watershed' run on Sunday in many ways (no, not rain - it was actually another nice, cool Hashing day). It was Rowdy Water's last run for an unknown time - but he was still carrying the bug that had laid him low all week so could do no more on his final run than guard the food, which must have been a major disappointment for someone who's been so closely involved with VTH3 for so long. Ronald Reagan and Ice Water took the troops up Big Mountain - starting with a steep climb off Vi Ba (just past the pagoda, then sharp right up a tiny dirt track); turn left at the 'crossroads' and follow an ideal 'nature trail' around the side of the mountain, under the cable car system, and then emerge back onto Vi Ba near the top of the mountain before descending past the coffee shops and many sidewalk stalls including Big Mountain's version of 'monkey pagoda' (the original monkey pagoda is on the Minh Dam side of Long Hai). Fabulous views and lots of interesting "local colour" were the order of the day! Three Hash Virgins were among the Happy Hashers: Basil introduced his friends Oanh and Tuan, and Taffy brought along his son, Olli - who was duly serenaded for his 22nd birthday! Apres-run snacks were provided by Ice Water and Private Business - lovely grub, many thanks ladies! Run #647 was also a watershed in that it was a major transition among the mismanagement team, with Falcon, Uncle & Anti having recently departed and Rowdy Water leaving this week. Ice Water had wasted no time in volunteering to keep things moving along, and she was joined during the week by Basil (who will also be trying to recruit some friends to the cause). Taffy has now also offered to help, so things are looking very promising indeed for the new team! Any more for any more? If anyone else would like to lend a hand, talk to Ice Water, Basil or Taffy, use the Contact VTH3 facility on this website, or email [email protected] - all offers will be very welcome, and it's an ideal opportunity to help "make a difference" in quite a big way, whilst having fun at the same time! STOP PRESS: Hares SamSon and Ice Water confirm a trail has been set on Small Mountain for Sunday's run (28 Sept): "Total length is 5.5 km, with many panoramic views of Vung Tau Bay. We welcome all Hashers on Sunday!" Meet as always in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden, 2 pm for 2.30 pm start... On On!  Reporting: Rowdy Water, Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, Ice Water SORRY FOLKS - NO GALLERY THIS WEEK: THE HASH CAMERA WAS OVERLOOKED DURING SUNDAY'S "CHANGING OF THE GUARD"!
"NORMAL SERVICE" WILL BE RESUMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - SO STAY CURIOUS, STAY EXCITED, AND STAY WITH US!  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 14 September 2014 Minh Dam Secret Zone - a very nice blend of trails We had a wild, tropical downpour at lunchtime, but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived - leaving us with a lovely overcast, cool day for Hashing in the countryside. Overall numbers were down this week, but double figures of returning Russians made up for it! We disembarked in the familiar Minh Dam car park for a chalk talk by Rowdy Water - and then it was "On On" into the mountains, dotted with dozens of religious, topographical and cultural artefacts which make the area so popular with tourists and trekkers alike! After some 400 metres and a friendly exchange of greetings with "roadside" workers, we veered to the left and began the uphill assault in earnest - a reasonable dirt track, but with a few boulders and slippery mud because of the rains. There are many different trails in the "secret zone" area, as seasoned Hashers know very well, so it was important to keep looking for the trail markers... Most of the pack managed to stay together, which was just as well because there were a few "wrong turns" after we'd reached the massive lookout rock on top of the mountain! Unfortunately, Hash Flash was carrying an injury and never made it to the top - so we've included some nice "on top of the world" images from Ciprian after the main photo gallery below: just keep scrolling down. And then it was "Down Down" through the lush vegetation and boulder-strewn track - quite steep in parts, and shared on this day with several groups of locals visiting the many pagodas, temples and shrines. The main pack made it safely back to the car park (a classic A-A trail), albeit via a different track than the one we'd started on - and settled down to snack (feast!) on various combinations of bread, pate, pork, pickles and fruit that had been so kindly provided by Ice Water, Anti and Mother Teresa, not to mention the ice-cold silver and gold San Miguels, softies and water! It was around this time when we realised a popular VTH3 veteran was missing, so we delayed the Circle pending what we confidently thought would be his imminent arrival. After what seemed like a long time later and still no sign of him, we were about to send out the search parties when Titanic finally made contact (there are very few mobile phone towers in the Long Hai Mountains). Our wayward 'veteran' had successfully made it back to ground level - but he was at "monkey pagoda", about 3 km away! It was getting dark by now, so we decided to pick him up and relocate the Circle to monkey pagoda, which we did. Mowgli rated the trail "very good, but slippery in places", so deducted 1 point and awarded Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water a very commendable 9/10. We welcomed back returnees Private Business, Titanic, D&G, Superteen, Mother Teresa and Mike. Hospitality sales & marketing guru Hieu was awarded the Hash monicker "Basil Fawlty", and then Stubble was charged for so many sins it was decided that he should just get "both barrels". Unfortunately, it was so dark by then that we can't share the hilarious sight of Stubble pouring beer all over his face because a rigid pvc pipe on each arm meant he couldn't bend his elbows! However, we can share his now-famous parting words before heading off on his lone odyssey into the mountains: "Don't worry, I know this area very well"!!! Our trip back to town included distribution of song sheets, promo flyers and business cards - all designed to help with ongoing recruitment. And an invitation for anyone who might be willing to help volunteers Ice Water and Basil Fawlty organise things each week following the recent departure of VTH3 stalwart Falcon (return date unknown), and imminent departures of fellow-stalwarts Uncle & Anti (end of year return) and Rowdy Water (the next run, #647, will be his last...). Come one, come all - everyone is welcome: "Many hands make light work!" Absolutely NO prior experience is necessary! If you would like to help Ice Water and Basil Fawlty keep the Hash "ticking over", please email [email protected] or use the "Contact VTH3" page on this website. STOP PRESS: Rowdy Water and Ice Water have set a trail on Big Mountain for this Sunday (21 Sept). Meet at the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden, as always - 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. Don't miss Rowdy Water's last run! On On!  Reporting: Uncle Hares: Rowdy Water, Ice Water Hash Flash: Uncle. Circle photos: Anti. Additional photos: Ciprian VTH3 #646 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>>   ...AND BELOW ARE SOME OF CIPRIAN'S PHOTOS. UNLIKE OUR INJURED HASH FLASH, HE MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, AS YOU CAN SEE! (HE'S THE GOOD-LOOKING GUY IN THE ORANGE T-SHIRT ABOVE)  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Cuong for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0938 83 31 83 or 0906 79 11 55 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 07 September 2014 Small Mountain - Lighthouse Hill, new exit... The weather gods are certainly being nice to us lately, with monsoonal rain further up the river in Saigon, yet (nearly) blue skies here in Vung Tau! And so it was today, after an earlier scare when a few black clouds appeared - but they vanished as quickly as they'd arrived, so all was well. In fact it was excellent Hashing weather - lovely and cool! An enthusiastic crew of 25 collected outside Offshore 1 for a chalk talk by Hareraiser Rowdy Water, then set off across the park and Front Beach area before regrouping at the bottom of Lighthouse Hill for an additional briefing about some 'tricky bits', including noisy dogs and remembering to close the pagoda gate! Up the hill we went, as far as the radio transmission tower, and then the tricky bits began - and almost immediately caught Ronald Reagan and Jasper. They eventually doubled back, adding a fair hike to their overall mileage... Once the descent began, it was typical Vung Tau mountainside 'jungle' vegetation - made even thicker ('more luxurious'?) by some recent rain. But it was as 'friendly' as we'd been briefed, so no complaints there. Mind you, some rediscovered that it's always safer to avoid stopping in thick vegetation because mosquitos, ants and all manner of "bitey things" are very quick to pounce on stationary skin! Down and down we went, until we encountered a very long but conveniently spaced set of steps that took us nearly to the bottom. Just the local dogs to circumvent, and then it was through a 'hole in the wall' and out onto Ha Long for a 1.5 km trek to the twin goldfish in the park. It was on this part of the course that we spied some potential new Hashers - an entire 'school' of boy scouts and girl guides on an adventure outing. Where were our VTH3 business cards and flyers when we needed them! Ice Water again provided her delicious bread, pork and pickles which are always well received and vanish in super-quick time, especially when washed down with ice-cold Gold and Silver San Miguels, water and oj! The Circle was duly called and Radio Wave gave Hares Rowdy Water, Ice Water, SamSon and Duc (the latter two both at work today) a very well-received 9.5/10. He explained that the score included bonus points because the trail was 'friendly' for his wife, Hi-Fi, who broke her leg a few months ago! (not with VTH3, we hasten to add...). Hash Virgins Duan, Tiep, Tan, Nhu, Dien and Rowdy Water's daughter Haley introduced themselves and were subsequently exposed to "the VTH3 song" by way of welcome. Returnees Radio Wave, Hi-Fi, Short Wave, Micro Wave (all same family if you hadn't guessed!) and Stubble were welcomed back from their respective absences, then the first four were kept in the Circle for making a short-cut down the mountain onto Ha Long. Radio Wave protested that it was because of Hi-Fi's not-yet-fully-healed broken leg, but that was overriden because he'd already given the trail bonus points for being so friendly! In retrospect, Stubble should also have been punished for removing his shoes then washing his feet in Vung Tau Bay, but that misdemeanour was somehow overlooked - so perhaps he and Uncle can both "pay the penalty" next time! STOP PRESS: Hares Rowdy Water and Ice Water have confirmed a trail in the Long Hai mountains: Minh Dam Secret Zone - "Best view of all the mountains" (so bring your camera!). 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, SamSon, Duc Hash Flash: Uncle VTH3 #645 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>>  |
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