 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! For all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: Ms Dao Email: [email protected] Office phone: 08.39976377 (Mondays thru Fridays, 8am - 5pm) Mobile: 0903 886 899 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 24 September 2017 MINH DAM BASE - "Rain, history, rain, views, more rain, caves, and yet more rain" Hares: Secs, Mr.T, Boozer Hash Flash: Basil, Radiowave, Dr. Who Ringmaster: Basil Report: Secs The rain had been falling steadily all day, but that didn’t dishearten the 43 intrepid Hashers from braving the elements and heading out on an adventure to explore the historical Minh Dam Base on Chau Long-Chau Vien Mountain, near to Long Hai. With expectations of spectacular views and interesting caves, we boarded the Hashmobile and started our journey. We arrived under the greyest of skies and the rain showed no signs of relenting. Not to worry, we donned our ponchos and rain coats as Hare, Mr, T, delivered the chalk talk and then set off. Our first obstacle to negotiate was a set of descending steps that had essentially become a cascading waterfall. From there we clambered up uneven steps to the summit of the mountain. Here we encountered some spectacular rock formations which were pockmarked from shrapnel - a grim reminder of the mountain’s role in past wars. At 260m above sea level and offering 360° views of the surrounding area it was obvious why this was such a strategic military base. Today, however, the visibility was limited by the mist of the low hanging clouds. After taking in the views, Hares, Secs and Boozer, directed us beyond the rocks to a trail that would lead us down to a hermit's house perched on the edge of the mountain, where, again, we were afforded more views of the surrounding countryside. On the way we were able to survey one of the many caves that were used by the soldiers in days gone by. At this point we turned back, retracing our steps, until we reached a crossroads where Mr. T. was waiting and explained that we had the option to further explore some more caves if we followed the different paths, warning everybody to be careful as the rocks had become lubricous with the rain. Some of the more fearless Hashers, armed with torches descended in to the darkness to explore the caves, one of which was used as a hospital in past conflicts. Back at the carpark we took shelter from the precipitation where we could find it - with most of congregating under the cornice of a nearby shed. We sated our thirst with cool San Miguel as we waited for the final Hashers to arrive back. A team photo in the rain and then time for the circle. Hares, Secs, Boozer and Mr.T., were front and centre and were awarded 11/10 for the trail - with Ringmaster Basil adding on another point for the rain, for a total of 12/10 We had three Virgins this week: Paul from Australia who came with Chi from Vietnam; and Alan also from Australia. Paul and Chi both stated it was a good day out and Alan asked that we don’t tell his wife that he did this in such bad weather otherwise she would have him committed for being crazy! Returnees this week were: Mr. T., who’d been attending to business in Australia; Tiny Tim, who was on vacation in Russia; and a young lady who simply stated she was just lazy. Basil decreed that there would be no sinners this week as everybody had done so well battling the inclement weather and introduced a visitor from Malaysia, Ms. BB. It must have been thirsty work again this week, as we boarded the bus there was no more San Miguel for the journey home. However, we stopped to buy a carton of beer and everybody was in good spirits, singing songs all the way back to Hon Ru Ri. We’ll meet again on Sunday, as always, at Hon Ru Ri: 2 pm for 2.30 pm start - in any weather! On On! VTH3 #804 PHOTO GALLERY 
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 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! For all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: Ms Dao Email: [email protected] Office phone: 08.39976377 (Mondays thru Fridays, 8am - 5pm) Mobile: 0903 886 899 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 17 September 2017 NUI DINH - "A tough climb up, temples, great views and a lot of San Miguel" Hares: Paddy, Ms. Dung Hash Flash: Mr. Hieu, Radiowave Ringmaster: Basil Report: Secs Another good turn out this week with a total of 40 Hashers on the Hashmobile as we head to one of our favourite mountains - Nui Dinh. We disembark at a small cafe where the down-down is to be held and on-on we go, along Nui Dinh Road, until we approach our entry point to the trail. Hares, Paddy and Ms Dung, who set the trail only that morning would meet us at the top of our ascent. In their place, Basil conducts the chalk talk explaining that we would enter the forest, climbing down to the riverbed and then follow the red ribbons to the top of the mountain. He mentioned we would encounter some obstacles along the way, including some large rocks we would have to scale. With some trepidation we look down at the ravine with one newbie tentatively asking: “Are we really going down there?” The answer comes back from a more experienced Hasher: “Yes, we are”, he says with a grin, reminding everybody to take their time, enjoy the walk and to help others in need. So on-on we go, with Terminator and his canine friend at the front of the pack as usual. The pack follows and we reach the riverbed. Last time we did this trail the riverbed was dried up, however, now we are in rainy season, we find ourselves confronted with a relatively free flowing river to negotiate. Luckily there are stepping stones and we help each other across, although a couple of Hashers did end up with wet feet. We begin our ascent through lush green forest and up the steep incline, scrambling over rocks and up pagoda steps. We wonder when we'll ever reach the top but, before long, we see sunlight beaming through the trees and know the summit isn't far away. This gives us the boost we need to keep going and suddenly we emerge to find ourselves presented with the intriguing temple embedded in the array of massive rocks at the top of the mountain. Here we meet Hares Paddy and Ms Dung who direct us to the several awesome viewpoints where many Hashers stop for selfies and take a well earned break on the welcome benches provided by the temple. From here it’s a short walk back to Nui Dinh Road and we start the easy 3km back to the down-down point. Along the way we are afforded many more spectacular vistas and some waterfalls where some of us take the opportunity to refresh ourselves with the cool, clean mountain water. This includes Sandy the Chihuahua who’d remarkably completed the entire trail under her own steam and welcomed the chance to cool off in the small pool underneath the waterfall. Back at the down-down, we find our beer monitors Buddha and Jeremy had diligently unloaded the eskies from the bus and carefully ensured that everybody’s bags were waiting safely for them when they returned. As the rest of the Hashers returned we slaked our thirst with cool San Miguel until Basil arrived and we call to order the circle. First up are Hares, Paddy and Ms. Dung, and are immediately awarded 10/10, not only for marking an excellent trail but also for making the extra effort to set it out earlier that morning after the original Hares were unable to due to work commitments. Quite a few virgins this week - a total of six. We had Mr. Hoang from Vietnam; Ms. Han also from Vietnam who said she was happy to be a virgin and enjoyed the trail; Peter from Australia; Karyn, also from Australia, who said she thought it was a great event - good for meeting other people, getting fit - and of course cold beer at the end. Next up was Steven from Australia who said it was hard work but satisfying to get to the summit - despite accepting a ride back along the road on a motorbike from a kindly passing local. And finally we had Robert from Australia. Next, the returnees, we had Mr. Phoc and Ms. Tuyen, who couldn’t join us recently because they both had been studying Japanese on Sundays. Then we had the Kangaroo family who hadn’t been with us for several years. They had a pretty good excuse - Mrs. Kangaroo had been delivering their two children and Mr. Kangaroo had also been working hard offshore and raising their two kids. In the Sinners circle we had Steven for the aforementioned sin of taking accepting a ride some of the way back. Basil was also charged with being too generous for waiting 10 minutes for the arrival of some Hashers who we were to collect on the way. Please remember folks to be on time and not keep others waiting. We wrapped up the circle with Secs and Faulty Brakes saying next week's trail would be another away trail and then boarded the Hashmobile and head back to Vung Tau. A slight calamity as we boarded the bus to discover our supply of San Miguel had been depleted and there was none left for the trip home. Not to worry, a generous Boozer asked the bus to stop at restaurant and stock up on plenty of additional beer to sustain the thirst beer drinkers all the back to Hon Ru Ri. We’ll meet again on Sunday, as always, at Hon Ru Ri: 2 pm for 2.30 pm start - in any weather! On On! VTH3 #803 PHOTO GALLERY   PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! For all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: Ms Dao Email: [email protected] Office phone: 08.39976377 (Mondays thru Fridays, 8am - 5pm) Mobile: 0903 886 899 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 10 September 2017 BIG MOUNTAIN - "Back on our local turf" Hares: Secs, Boozer, Faulty Brakes Hash Flash: Dr. Who, Lady D Ringmaster: Basil Report: Secs This week we had 23 spirited Hashers meet at Hon Ru Ri for a run / walk up Big Mountain, our local stomping ground. After a brief Chalk Talk by Secs, we depart Hon Ru Ri under brilliant sunshine. We turn left onto Tran Phu for 1.5 kilometers until we reach Ganh Hao Restaurant. FRBs, Boozer with Sandy and Terminator, have already disappeared in to the jungle. The rest of the Hashers gather opposite Ganh Hao and are ushered by Hares into the semi-concealed entrance that will take us onto the jungle trail and up to the mountain. We crawled up a steep rocky incline, up some derelict steps and then onto the narrow trail through the jungle. It's not easy going but, helping each other as we go, we eventually exit the jungle on the mountain road of Vi Ba where there are several stalls selling refreshments. Here we encounter an rather enervated Boozer who had to carry Sandy the Chihuahua most of the way. At this point, Hashers have a few options; turn left and continue to the top of the mountain, stop for a refreshing sugarcane juice at one of the many stalls, or turn right and continue the trail down the mountain. A few dedicated Hashers decided to take the rocky road to the top of the mountain however, most of us , understandably, decided to opt for a refreshing drink and continued down Vi Ba, keeping an eye out for Red Ribbons that would take us off the road and down to the White Palace. We begin the final descent through the serene gardens of the French colonial era mansion opposite Ho Ru Ri. Back at Hon Ru RI, we start the down-down with ice cold San Miguel, fruit and the always delicious snacks provided by Mother Teresa. It’s not long before we realise that four Hashers are missing; Dr. Who, Stubble, Iryna and Sunday. We’re not worried as all are experienced Hashers and the likelihood is that they continued to the top of the mountain and stopped for refreshments. Soon Dr. Who arrives back and we get word that the other three are on their way. We take the team photo and Basil calls to order the circle. Hares, Boozer, Faulty Brakes and Secs, are called in to the circle and Boozer nominates Sandy the Chihuahua to rate trail. She gives a rating of 9.6/10 stating that it was a bit of a “ruff” trail - and we all groan at the rather tired witticism. We have four Virgins this week; Ms. Trinh, Mr. Viet, Ms. Nhu and Ms. Gam. Ms. Trinh tells that she was introduced to the Hash by Secs and that she enjoyed it so much she will invite her family to join us next week. Only one Returnee this time, Dr. Who, who had been working in Australia. With perfect timing, just as we are about to call for any Sinners, the remaining three Hashers saunter back and are immediately called into the circle for returning late. So, Stubble, Iryna and Sunday are in the Sinners circle together with Boozer, being a Hare you'd think he'd know better, and Terminator, who Boozer charged with also getting lost. Sandy was also called as a Sinner since she had to be carried most of the way up the mountain. Next Ringmaster, Basil, announces that he has a selection of the new 800th Run T-Shirts available for sale and many Hashers take the opportunity to immediately change in to their spiffy new apparel. Next week's run will be on Nui Dinh, set by Hares Paddy and SamSon. We’ll meet again on Sunday, as always, at Hon Ru Ri: 2 pm for 2.30 pm start - in any weather! On On! VTH3 #802 PHOTO GALLERY   PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! For all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: Ms Dao Email: [email protected] Office phone: 08.39976377 (Mondays thru Fridays, 8am - 5pm) Mobile: 0903 886 899 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 3 September 2017 SUOI DA - "Beautiful Waterfalls and Pools" Hares: Secs, Mr. T, Faulty Brakes Hash Flash: Goalie, Boozer, Radio Wave Ringmaster: Basil Report: Secs Run number 801 and 44 Hashers boarded the Hash Mobile at Hon Ru Ri and we departed to the beautiful location of Suoi Da near to Ba Ria. This was to be an exciting new location for many Hashers as many of us had never been here before on a Hash. We arrived at our destination and, co-Hare, Secs delivers the Chalk Talk. He informs everybody the the trail will take us passed several waterfalls cascading into five rock pools that would be perfect for a refreshing dip once we had returned from the run. There would be plenty of time to enjoy a splash around before we start the Down-Down and Circle. After the fifth pool we would look out for the red ribbons that would show us the way, up many steps, to a temple at the top of the mountain. After the temple, continue a short distance to discover a spectacular view, besting the views that we had been privileged to experience on recent runs. On-on we go! As we pass the pools we observe many locals frolicking in the water, being a holiday weekend there are many folks relaxing and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. As we ascend we find ourselves jumping over forest streams and crossing fast flowing rivers. Under the tropical heat many of us find it tough going but taking regular rest breaks we endeavour to reach to top where we are rewarded with the amazing view of the surrounding countryside. We stop to take many photos and then turn around and come back the way we came. Many Hashers took advantage of the pools to cool off after the run and then its back to the Hash Mobile where we enjoy San Miguel Beer, soft drinks, fruit, and delicious food prepared by Ice Water and Mother Teresa. It’s time for the team photo and some team members still haven’t returned as they are still enjoying swimming in the pools. We take the picture and Basil calls to order the Circle. As always, the Hares are called in the Circle. This week the Hares are Mr. T., Secs and Faulty Brakes. Newcomer Jeremy volunteers to rate the trail. He gives it a score of 10/10 stating that was was hard work but was pleased it was well marked as he has a tendency to get lost and on this trail he didn’t. Next up we welcome the Virgins, we included some guys who had joined the week before for the 800th run but due to time constraints were unable to introduce themselves to us. So in total we had six virgins: Das and Neil, who had joined us the week before. Neil is from California USA. Das from Borneo, Malaysia who said he really enjoyed the social aspect of the Hash and that since he was heading home the following day he would miss us all. Then we had Tom, an Irishman who has been living on Hong Kong and came to Vung Tau for some rest and relaxation. We also Ms. Phuong from Vietnam. Finally, Jeremy from New Zealand and Bruce from Vietnam, introduced themselves both saying that they enjoyed meeting people of all nationalities and different walks of life. In the sin bin this week we had Radio Wave, WiFi and Ron who had enjoyed the swimming so much that they returned late for the team photo. And, finally, Buddha who had valiantly attempted to climb all the steps but had turned back before completing the trail. We close the Circle announcing that the next run would be a local run on Big Mountain set by Hares Secs, Faulty Brakes and Boozer. Basil also announced that for those who hadn’t yet purchased the new VTH3 T-Shirts that they would be available on the next run, but only for those who actually did the run. We’ll meet again on Sunday, as always, at Hon Ru Ri: 2 pm for 2.30 pm start - in any weather! On On VTH3 #801 PHOTO GALLERY  |
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