  MAJOR SPONSOR: HOSTED BY:  www.sanmiguelbeerinternational.com OFFSHORE BARS 600TH RUN T-SHIRTS COURTESY OF:  SATURDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2013 600th run weekend party – Offshore Bar 2 It had been a long time coming – almost 21 years since the original VTH3 was founded in December 1992 – but our 600th run weekend was finally upon us! The sparkling new 600th run t-shirts proved extremely popular and literally “flew” off the shelves; and then it was time for socialising with fellow Hashers from a wide range of backgrounds! A superb dinner was served: in fact, it’s extremely doubtful that a more tasty meal could have been found anywhere in Vung Tau on Saturday night – many thanks to Ms Hai and the wonderful caterers and staff of Offshore Bar 2, you certainly did us proud! Freshly returned from “a life on the ocean waves”, Rowdy Water welcomed Hashers, family and friends to the historic celebration and handed over to the entertainment directors: Hares KFC and Mr Son. And how fitting it was, with Japan being widely acknowledged as the “birthplace” of karaoke, that the first performance of the evening should be on VTH3 stalwart Atsushi “Oil Boom” Ishikawa’s state of the art karaoke set-up by two of his Japanese colleagues and fellow Hashers! And so the evening progressed, with many different faces and languages keeping everyone entertained with their songs. A staple of VTH3’s “away” runs has always been the return journey’s singalong, which inevitably becomes an international competition with friendly rivalry between national representatives from all over the world. The winner on this particular occasion was acclaimed as popular long-time Hasher, “Kojak” – and so it ended: Norway 1, Rest of the World 0! It was a wonderful night, and our thanks go to those many Hashers and supporters who collectively organised, delivered and patronised such a memorable function – which could not have been possible without our hosts the Offshore Bars, major sponsors San Miguel, and 600th t-shirt sponsors GL Noble Denton, SEC Star Engineering and NI-Limits digital media. Many thanks one and all – your generosity is enshrined in VTH3 folklore, and tales will be spread far and wide through the global Hash movement and its many ambassadors! SUNDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2013 600th run – Big Mountain With many Hashers sporting their shiny new t-shirts “bristling” with sponsors’ logos, there was a great feeling of anticipation as a record 60 enthusiasts assembled at Offshore Bar 1 for VTH3’s historic 600th run. It was a magical atmosphere that was to last all day – getting a great kickstart with the unexpected re-appearance of modern era stalwart “Calamity Jane” Lee. “CJ” was a long-time “ever present” since VTH3 was “re-Hashed” back in July 2011 – so welcome back, CJ: it’s great to see your beaming smile again! And the day just kept getting better and better. The 600th run Hash chariot was a canary yellow bus with a cavernous storage area – which was just as well because it was quickly filled with loaded eskies, tables, food, the “blue bin” and maybe even the odd Hasher or two! We were “straining at the leash” when a quick photo opportunity was called at 360 Tran Phu in the fishing village. Then, photos taken, the 600th run was officially declared "ON ON"! As we were about to discover, this particular trail was designed to epitomise what VTH3 is all about: mountains, steps (lots of steps!), beautiful scenery and splashes of history and local culture – it’s what we do! So On On! we went up the 200 steps to hem 444 and past the old French cannon emplacements, before taking the long trail around the ridge with its many types of vegetation and scenery – then finally(!) reaching the familiar 600 steps down to 112 Tran Phu. With so many runners galloping around the mountainside, we had a designated “sweeper” Hare to make sure no-one strayed off the well-marked trail. Couldn’t happen, could it? Surely not! Well maybe it didn’t, but then again…….. We all have our favourite illusionists, but some 20 Hashers put even the best to shame when they disappeared en bloc, “vaporized” even, then somehow managed to reappear a short time later – which was just as well, because it was time to catch our “yellow submarine” to the other side of town and watch the sun slowly setting over the East Sea (aka South China Sea) as we relaxed on our “private” beach. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? But the reality was “HHH” – a Horde of Hungry Hashers, washing tasty ham and chicken down with some very welcome coldies courtesy of major sponsor San Miguel. An exceptional ending to an excellent run! The Circle was called and suitably mismanaged by Hares Falcon and Rowdy Water. Virgins Vlada, Liliyo, Vera, Luca, Norm and Gear were welcomed into the fold, then Alex was formally (and finally) named “Diplomat”, along with Andy who became “Taffy”, and Som who will forever more be known as “Som Dum” (don’t ask!). The usual irreverent (irrelevant?) penalties were dished out, including not only “bright shoes” but almost “no shoes” – until, with the Circle over and darkness descending, we finally called “Time” on what had been an eminently enjoyable and interesting day befitting a memorable 600th run weekend! And so life goes on... We’ll meet again at Offshore Bar 1 next Sunday, 3 November, at 2 pm for 2.30 departure to Nui Dinh. Please book your bus seats as early as possible. On On! Reporting by Rowdy Water and Uncle, additional photos by CJ. VTH3 600th run weekend photo gallery >>>   
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