VTH3 #635

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29 June 2014
NUI DINH - Mushroom glen + swimming pool cafe

We gathered in Offshore Bar 1 beer garden under fairly clear skies - certainly clear enough to give us hope that today would be our first run of the wet season without gettting soaked (but read on...).

We disembarked the Hash chariot (45-seats for the price of 29 - can't be bad!) near the school at the bottom of Nui Dinh (mountain) and headed uphill after the Chalk Talk.  After 400+ metres of sealed road, it was a sharp right turn onto a local dirt track which we followed for some time until reaching the well-signed turn-off into the bush proper. 

Having spent 10-15 minutes on fairly level ground, it was no surprise to suddenly find ourselves heading uphill through the thick scrub - this is Vung Tau Hash, after all!

On and on we went, through the scrub and a flat area filled with large mushrooms ("mushroom glen"), before finally arriving at a steep upward climb.  It was here that Viking and Titanic displayed some real Hash spirit by using a tree-branch to haul "young and old" over some boulders to emerge back on the sealed road (only much higher up the mountain this time!).

After a few false starts where many of the FRBs managed to miss the markers across the road pointing back into the bush, most of us were 'coralled' by the Hares and pointed in the right direction - while the FRBs headed off by different routes towards the swimming pool cafe "Down Down" area. 

Once we'd passed the disused tree-cutter's house and emerged back onto the sealed road (again!), it was "only" another 800 metres or so until we spotted the Hash chariot outside what is arguably our favourite Nui Dinh location: the swimming pool cafe!

Several opted for a swim, most didn't - and some had already opted to head further north on the mountain road for reasons known only to themselves!

Lots of fellowship followed, nicely complemented by the icy-cold San Miguels and spring rolls, bread, meat and pickles provided so magnanimously by Ice Water!

Our forward planning received a boost when Titanic and D&G explained that most of our Russian contingent are enjoying holidays back home, with expected return to VN from end-August - which gives us a timetable to replenish the stocks!

It was about this time that the threatening dark skies finally opened and the rain literally bucketed down onto the tin-roofed shed in which we had all gathered (except for the swimmers, of course - they were busy making sure our major sponsor's banner is waterproof: see Photo Gallery below!).

The Circle was eventually called and the trail awarded 8/10 by former Hare, Hard Drive.  "Hares extraordinaire" Rowdy Water and Falcon were duly acknowledged!

And it was then that not 1 but 11 sinners were called into the Circle to collectively pay their dues for various indiscretions including short-cutting, long-cutting, going backwards, going forwards, etc etc - we're sure you get the drift!

The rain that had battered the swimming pool cafe incessantly for what seemed like hours finally began to ease, so the decision was made to pack up and run to the bus for the somewhat soggy journey back into town - which was accompanied by continued chit-chat and the occasional song ("Maggie May", anyone?).  The new "Vung Tau Hash" song was also premiered - it will appear amongst the other songs on this website in due course...

The On On took place as usual at Offshore Bar 1, which coincidentally(!) is the venue for next Sunday's registration at 2 pm before we head off for a "stroll" on Big Mountain - see you then!

On On!

Reporting:  Uncle

Hares:  Falcon, Rowdy Water

Hash Flash:  Uncle

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VTH3 #635 PHOTO GALLERY>>>>>>>
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