 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Duy for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0908808468 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 30 November 2014 BIG MOUNTAIN - Blackhawk's birthday! Plenty of cloud cover greeted the Hashers as they gathered for registration at Offshore Bar 1 - so the temperatures were a little lower than usual at this time of year, which was very pleasant. A quick group photo and then it was "On On" by taxi fleet to the Ganh Hao restaurant where we were joined by a late but keen Hasher to make the day's total a 'respectable' 29. Basil gave the Chalk Talk while co-Hare SamSon dashed on ahead saying something about needing to "reorganise" the trail(!). He was soon followed by an enthusiastic band of Hashers, although they slowed down fairly quickly after the initial vertical climb which had been made more difficult than usual because of the lack of rain - but everyone lived to tell the tale! It was a long climb from Tran Phu to the coffee shop at the top of the sealed road on the mountain, and certainly a much shorter route than by following the road! There are usually lots of pigs around the coffee shop, but most of them wandered off with the arrival of so many noisy Hashers so that, before long, the only sound echoing through the forest was a village dog barking at Mountain Goat's faithful K9 companion Hashputin! And then we were all on the move again - soon to reach our major challenge of the day: which trail to choose, long or short? The Gardener and Ms Banana stood "guard" over the access track to help ensure everyone went the right way. The short trail was once known as The Adventure Trail, having been set by Rowdy Water and Ice Water during the rainy season - but with the onset of dry season the grass had been cut short, so it was easier to see the markers. The long trail headed up to the temple, so on we went. But it was somewhere along here that things got a bit confusing - someone (not a Hasher!) had chalked over our trail, which didn't please The Gardener at all (he and Ms Banana had spent several hot and sweaty hours cutting this trail earlier in the week!). The trail was long and difficult going in parts, through thick vegetation - but Titanic and Tiny Tim found what looked like a tube with a valve on it, so they turned the handle and, "Eureka!", nice cool water! When those who'd taken the long trail finally reached the Circle location in Lam Son park, they discovered to their amazement that none of those who'd opted for the short trail had arrived yet! Radio Wave came running up and informed everyone that the short trail wasn't very short at all - most of the old "Adventure Trail" had vanished, so they lost their way! Just then, a taxi arrived and out came Blackhawk and Luda - obviously keen to make it back early because it was Blackhawk's birthday! Everyone finally made it back and the Circle was called, with Peach Melba volunteering for Ring Master duties as she'd "done it once with SH3"! Radio Wave rated the long trail 10/10 because it was indeed very long (mind you, he ran both trails - short AND long - so it's little wonder that he said it was long!). Mother Teresa was going to give the same score to the short trail but deducted 2 points because she got lost! Hash Virgins were called into the Circle but Ciprian's partner and regular Hasher for some time now, Ms Vy, was somehow delegated to receive an ice shower instead - yes, we know, very confusing! And then Peach Melba showed us what she'd learned with SH3 by calling everyone into the Circle who wasn't wearing a Hash t-shirt - which was a lot of people because we ran out of t-shirts earlier this year and haven't yet managed to find enough sponsors for another batch! (any volunteers?). And just to prove she likes to deal in "big numbers", the next lot to be charged by Peach Melba were those who chatted while she was talking - cue five more Down Downs! After all the frivolity, the Circle was unanimous in thanking Mother Teresa for once again providing much-appreciated nourishment - conveyed to the Circle on the back of Terminator's motorbike! STOP PRESS: Hares KFC and Basil have confirmed a trail in the Long Hai Mountains for our next outing, and a 45-seat bus has been ordered. We'll meet on Sunday, as usual, in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start (Offshore 1 is temporarily closed for renovations, but that shouldn't affect our registration for run #658). On On!  Reporting: Basil, Uncle Hares: The Gardener, Ms Banana, SamSon, Basil Hash Flash: Taffy. Additional photos: Radio Wave VTH3 #657 PHOTO GALLERY > > > For more photos, by Radio Wave, go to: https://yadi.sk/d/Kgl0JWqsd4ypF 
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 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Duy for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0908808468 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 23 November 2014 NUI DINH - Temple to Temple: "A to A" It was great to see so many former Hashers returning en masse from various work, holiday and other personal-related absences over the past several months. Rallying to the call for "Many hands make light work", GPS volunteered to manage registration and showed off her impressive clerical skills - while Basil displayed his maths expertise by proving that 32 goes into 29(!). A "tightly packed" crew disembarked on the higher reaches of Nui Dinh for a chalk talk by The Gardener which included a reminder of the need to pay close attention to markers when travelling through dense undergrowth such as we would encounter today. The start point was about 1 km north of the bridge over Angel Stream, then left onto a dirt bike track. About 2 km along this trail was a fish pond and then a temple. It was here that the trail turned to the left, then left again past the monk's house. A number of Hashers climbed the temple stairs but were redirected onto the correct trail by Ms Banana and a barking guard dog! From there, the trail passed a few ponds and became a downhill descent for a while, before taking a smaller uphill track - all the while taking us through swathes of lush, constantly changing vegetation that can be seen in the photo gallery below, thanks to the "good eye for a tree" of trainee Hash Flash Tiny Rabbit! It was somewhere along here, deep inside the forest where no sun could reach, that we passed another temple with monks in meditation and the usual sound of "knocking" the Zen ball. The passing Hashers' shouts of "On On" were dutifully "barked away" by the ever-alert guard dogs! After the uphill section, we followed a circular route back to the original (first) temple, and more barking; then down the moto track to the Circle location on the sealed road - out into "the open" at last! Hares The Gardener and Ms Banana were suitably impressed: "Everyone earned their beer today;" they smiled - "especially Terminator, who had finished the trail but backtracked, beer in hand, to greet Mother Teresa and daughter Superteen!" After a suitable interlude for ice cold San Migs, softies and Russian bread with salted pork, Duty Ring Master Camel Bone managed to salvage the "official hat" from Oggy, who had already donned the "chain of office" in preparation for helping to run the Circle. He called on one of today's Hash Virgins to evaluate the trail (sorry, I can't even pronounce his name, let alone spell it!) - which, after various interjections was resolved by a vote from the Circle as a well-earned 9.9/10 ("well-earned" because exploring and marking this particular trail took the best part of two days, which is not unusual in the life of a Hare...). It takes a spirit of adventure and love of the countryside to be a Hare, but without such volunteers we would struggle to have a Hash that's anything more than a stroll around the local park - more volunteers are always welcome! Hash Virgins and returnees were welcomed in style by RM Camel Bone and his able assistant Oggy - with Russian/English translations by Superteen; sinners were penalised for misdemeanours real and imagined (even K9 Hashputin copped a penalty!); Mountain Goat and Mother Teresa were thanked by acclamation for sharing their delicious snacks once again ("Welcome back, Mountain Goat and Hashputin!"); and then the Circle degenerated into some mild "water sloshing" under cover of the rapidly approaching darkness! The trip back to Vung Tau was an extremely convivial one, with yet another chapter of the renowned "VTH3 international mobile song festival" mostly dominated by Russian folk songs and a rousing rendition of "Ho Chi Minh"! And so ended an extremely satisfying and enjoyable day in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau countryside that tourists can only dream about! STOP PRESS: The Gardener and Ms Banana marked a trail on Big Mountain earlier this week before returning to Bien Hoa, then SamSon and Basil finalised it yesterday by including a different route to a temple on the way back down the mountain - so we're calling it the "Long or Short" trail because you can decide whether to include the temple or bypass it, depending how you're feeling at the time. The Circle will be held in Lam Son Square! "On On"!  Reporting: Basil, The Gardener, Uncle Hares: The Gardener, Ms Banana Hash Flash: Tiny Rabbit VTH3 #656 PHOTO GALLERY > > >    PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Duy for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0908808468 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 16 November 2014 BIG MOUNTAIN - Plenty of "local colour"! We all gathered at the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden for registration on what was to be an extremely interesting and pleasant day, albeit tinged with a little sadness to mark Ice Water's last run of the year. A fleet of taxi's took most of us to the start point at 540 Tran Phu - at the end of the fishing village, almost where Big Mountain's fourth peak reaches sea level, some 6 km from the end of today's A-B trail at 111 Tran Phu. And that was why those in the taxi which went straight to the end point by mistake decided to take the driver's advice and ride on to the start point rather than walk! Once we'd all arrived, it was time for a group photo and then The Gardener's Chalk Talk. It was a hot, sunny day as we passed through a local village where all the kids decided to practise their English, followed by howls of laughter! Not quite so funny was the young soldier who happily posed for a photo but then noisily reloaded his AK-47 - which was our cue to keep moving... We followed an old trail at first, but we soon found that nothing stands still for long in Vung Tau - someone had started laying a concrete bike path over the hill that definitely wasn't there five months ago! It was easy enough to follow, but once we rounded the corner we realised that someone had either run out of concrete or time, or both - because the lovely new road came to a sudden stop in the middle of nowhere! Which was as good a point as any for our trail markers to head off into the dense bamboo towards the mountain top (everything in VTH3 seems to revolve around mountain tops - but we must admit the views are often spectacular!). GeoffK used his recently injured shoulder as an excuse for an "approved" short-cut - but he was spotted and quickly joined by Superteen and several other SCBs! For the rest of us, it was "On On" through the bamboo and thick undergrowth - but the weather was extremely generous with frequent wind gusts bringing a cooling breeze to some very hot and grateful Hashers! We continued on and eventually stumbled across a shrine which afforded the opportunity for selfies with "Uncle Ho"! We were on the downhill stretch by now, and once we'd passed through the small village on the hillside (more happy kids!), we reached the former French artillery station which is now a place of historic interest for locals and tourists alike - and of course few can resist the lure of having a happy snap with a 5m long gun barrel! And then we finally reached the bottom, to be welcomed by Camel Bone with his hands full of cold drinks to entice GPS into one last burst of speed as though she was in a baton-relay! It was decided after much discussion(!) that Basil would be duty Ring Master today, ably supported by masters at arms Camel Bone and Hard Drive. Mother Teresa and Superteen managed the Russian-English translations, which ended with what had been a superb trail by The Gardener and Ms Banana being awarded 10/10 - but minus 2 because Mother Teresa decided that crawling through all that bamboo was worth at least a couple of penalty points to bring the overall score down to 8/10! The aforementioned SCBs were charged and Down Down'd accordingly (it was decided that GeoffK's shoulder injury was no excuse!). There was some discrepancy about one of the alleged SCBs, Ms Phuong, who enlisted Viking as a character witness - but that didn't wash either: Down Down she went! Ms Banana was charged by Hard Drive for wearing new shoes (see photo gallery), and then Ice Water, Mother Teresa and Tiny Tim were brought into the Circle to be thanked for sharing their lovely food with us yet again! Duty RM Basil and his masters at arms reminded everyone that today was Ice Water's last run for this year, so she was brought out yet again to be thanked for all her "backroom" work every week organising food, drinks, buses, taxi's, registration, Hash Cash - you name it, she's been doing it! And so it was fitting that she ended the day as a cameo of herself, Ice Water, inside an eskie full of very cold ice and water! Good luck with your travels, IW - and hurry back soon, ya hear! A very pleasant day ended with the Circle being invited to join Ice Water for a farewell party at the Summer Wine Bar last night - an "On On" worthy of a very popular and generous VTH3 stalwart who "stepped up to the plate" recently when four veterans headed overseas almost at the same time, leaving a big hole to be filled: which she has done admirably! STOP PRESS: The Gardener and Ms Banana confirm they've marked the trail they recce'd on Nui Dinh - an A-A circular route that starts next to Angel Stream then runs past a temple and takes a clockwise loop through many criss-crossing jungle trails, so staying alert and watching for the red eco-markers will help save anyone getting lost and/or wasting "good drinking time" having to back-track! Basil has volunteered to "steer the ship" in Ice Water's absence, so we'll meet for registration, as usual, in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden next Sunday at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. And please don't leave Basil having to do everything on his own - "Many hands make light work," so if you can turn up a few minutes before 2 pm to help load eskies, etc it will be much appreciated! On On!  Reporting: Basil, Uncle Hares: The Gardener, Ms Banana Hash Flash: Hard Drive VTH3 #655 PHOTO GALLERY > > >    PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MAJOR SPONSOR, SAN MIGUEL! Contact Mr Duy for all San Miguel products in Vung Tau: email: [email protected] phone, text/sms: 0908808468 Home, office, party etc deliveries a specialty! 09 November 2014 SMALL MOUNTAIN - "Lighthouse Hill with a difference" A hot, sunny day greeted everyone for registration at the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden prior to Sunday's run up and around Lighthouse Hill on Small Mountain. We assembled for a group photo and then headed across the Front Beach area as a group, before gathering near the bottom of Small Mountain access road for Basil's Chalk Talk (occasionally interrupted by passing motorbikes!). And then it was "On On" towards the Lighthouse initially via the road and some locals holding a roadside party, to the first turn-off - which was where the FRBs followed the wrong arrow (many groups mark trails in the Vung Tau mountains and not all follow Hash rules of biodegradable, eco-friendly markers). Those who followed the correct trail were "greeted" by some very prickly undergrowth on a steep upward slope - which severely challenged some already tired legs! A related challenge quickly followed - the need to crouch very low to get through some small, dense and very prickly bamboo! It was about here that the trusty walkie-talkies proved their worth yet again, with The Gardener contacting Basil for directions: direct front to rear communication - "high tech" becomes "Hash tech"! We finally arrived at the iconic Lighthouse, which was busy with local teenagers and Sunday afternoon tourists, but still presented plenty of scope for high-level photos of Vung Tau City! And now it was time to head downhill - on a mix of dirt tracks and narrow sealed roads via local shrines and at least one very strangely-positioned signpost! (see photo gallery below). Once we reached ground level, we discovered that a group of 6 Hashers had taken a "long cut" - which is a nice change from the usual SCBs! Duty "Ailing Hash" Basil ensured all safely down at last, and then it was a short trek to the familiar twin goldfish in the Front Beach park on Le Loi. Taffy was nominated duty Ring Master because of his extensive knowledge of Circle songs(!). Experienced Hare The Gardener rated the trail 7/10, citing "some good challenges"; co-Hare Basil did the Down Down honours on behalf of himself and co-Hare SamSon (who unfortunately works most Sundays!). We welcomed Hash Virgins Phuong, Anh and Nikolai; then "punished" sinner Miss Banana for trashing and taking off shoes during the Hash, which earned her an enviable "3D" - Double Down Down! Ice Water paid the penalty for wearing new shoes and Virgin Nikolai for "inappropriate footwear" (Hash note: Terminator is owed a Down Down for not ensuring his protege wore recommended footwear!). Then it was time to "Hash Tag" Taffy's son Oliver. The Circle weighed up the similarities to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist plus his liking for a San Miguel or three, and decided he will henceforth be known in Hash circles as Twist Beer ("Twist top"?). And finally, another big "Thank you" Down Down for Ice Water for her efforts in not only organising everything behind the scenes every week to ensure Sundays run as smoothly as possible in Hash terms, but also continuing to provide the "Hash sarnies" every week without fail. Outside the Circle, The Gardener suggested that the Hares should be penalised for aforementioned confusion about trail markers (not entirely their fault, of course, but that's irrelevant when there's a gratuitous Down Down at stake!). Basil duly took another "hit" for himself and co-Hare SamSon! STOP PRESS: Hares The Gardener and Miss Banana spent most of Monday on Big Mountain cutting undergrowth to produce a "some old, some new" trail for next Sunday that ends near the ocean at a vacant plot of ground next to a restaurant at 111 Tran Phu. After the Circle is finished and eskies and blue bin returned safely to Offshore Bar 1, there will be time for a shower, change of clothes then "On On" at a restaurant in Vung Tau City to mark Ice Water's departure until the end of this year. It's "Party Time" and everyone is invited! We'll meet for registration on Sunday, as always, in the Offshore Bar 1 beer garden at 2 pm for 2.30 pm start. See you there! On On!  Reporting: Basil, Uncle Hares: SamSon, Basil Hash Flash: Hard Drive and friends. GPS: SamSon VTH3 #654 PHOTO GALLERY > > >   ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ HERE THEY ARE... ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ < < < AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THEM WENT! > > >  |
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