Scribe For The Grand HAA Malacca Sunday Hash 30th Anniversary Celebration Run
Scribe by Drug Buster
on 24th June 2006 at Pantai Belimbing
Date: 26-06-2006
HAA Malacca Sunday Hash is one of the 7 hashing chapters in the State of Malacca. A mixed chapter with 110 members from all walks of life which runs on every Sunday at 5.30 pm, it is one of the pioneer chapters founded in 1976. It celebrated its 30th Anniversary on 24th June, 2006 which was a Saturday at Pantai Belimbing. A total of 1200 hashers took part. They derived from 76 hashing chapters from all States in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore.
Pantai Belimbing is a popular hashing runsite in Malacca. A scenic hilly runsite covered with oil palm, rubber and fruit plantations, it is tucked away in the outskirts some 20 km north-east of Malacca City.
The registration started at 2.00 pm. On my arrival there as one of the 33 participants from Malacca Hash House Harriers one hour later, there were already a big crowd gathering there. They were seen collecting their generous freebies which consisted of, to name a few, a sports bag, 2 T-shirts, a lighter, 2 bars of bathing soap, 2 packets of shampoo and a packet of local white coffee powder. Long lost buddies and sweeties and familiar faces such as Looi Nai Boon, Murugan, James Bond, Cowboy and Lim Tian Han were met, greetings were exchanged and grandfather stories were told. Adjournments were made to the numerous food-stalls where light food such curry puff, assorted nyonya cakes and roti canai were served with drinks such as beer, mineral water and cendol to add energy for the impending run. More and more hashers trickled in as time passed by. At around 4.00 pm the Organising Chairman gave a welcome speech. It was followed by a warm-up exercise led by a bunch of sexy harriets on the stage to the tune of music to loosen the muscle.
It was at 4.40 pm when the run was flag-off by Dragon Lim, the Organising Chairman. The sky then was gloomy. However, it did not deter the ardent and energetic hashers from starting the run by following the paper on the broad laterite road which led into a rubber plantation and passed by a quarry before ascending the first hill. On the way, my partner and I met Helen, Carol, Lynn and her father Holland from New Zealand who was on vacation. It was quite a tough climb which took us some 15 minutes to reach its top. The panoramic scenery below was beautiful and relaxing.
The paper then went downhill for a short distance through the bushy and narrow trail before ascending another hill. It was then that it started drizzling which made the trail wet and slippery. Before arriving at its top 10 minutes later, it hit the first and only check which was found and joined by the front runners. Covered with tall trees and bushes, the surrounding scenery below could not be seen.
The paper then went downhill again for another short distance before ascending the third steeper and higher hill through the bushy trail which made many of us sweating profusely, panting and taking a break on the way. It lasted for 20 minutes before arriving at a clearing where a big pack of front runners gathered undecided whether to follow the paper on the right downhill or left uphill. From instinct, Lynn, Holland, my partner and I chose to follow the paper on the left on an open trail which led uphill. It was another tiring ascent for some 10 minutes before we arrived at the top of fourth and last hill where we met the hares Lee Seng Fatt and Peter Looi who showed us the optional directions of long run on the right and short run on the left the distances of which I was later told were 13 km and 8 km respectively. Other than some young and energetic runners who chose the long run, the rest of us which included my partner and I chose the short run. From then on, it was a tough descent meandering through the narrow, steep, bushy and slippery trail for another 15 minutes before arriving at a tarred road at the foot of the hill where we met some long distance runners emerging from the right.
It was a 2-km home trail on the tarred road to the runsite through the oil palm, rubber and fruit plantations and a few farm houses. On the way, we met a few familiar faces which included Mary who took the long run. While running, the back sole of my right shoe came out which forced me to walk uncomfortably. Incidentally I saw Lynn walking in front of me with the left shoe on her foot and the right shoe in her hand with its sole detached. What a coincidence! We looked and laughed at each other. Well, it was mainly caused by nothing else but the rugged trails.
It was 6.40 pm when my partner and I arrived back at the runsite where most of the short distance runners were back and enjoying the varieties of buffet hawker food such as chicken rice, mutton curry rice, fried kuay teow, roti canai, yong tau foo and roasted pork with free-flowing beer to refurnish the lost energy in the run.
It was also at this time that hash circle was conducted. All the GMs were put on ice, on-downed and presented each with a pair of colourful Malaccan wooden clogs.
The programmes that followed were the exciting line dance on the stage by a group of sexy HAA harriets and boat race. The former saw the harriets showing their dancing skills and the latter saw the harriers from the various chapters showing their beer drinking abilities.
The last programmes of the night were show time and disco time. The former saw the exciting performance of 3 energetic dancers cum singers dancing and singing their hearts out to the tune of hot and loud music to the applause of the drunken and groggy hashers. I do not know the atmosphere of the last disco programme, as I left the runsite early. But knowing the hashers, they must have danced until the last minute of mid-night when celebration ended. It was definitely an enjoyable and unforgettable event.
It was a well-organised anniversary run with challenging runs, good food, good drink, good freebies and good hospitalities. Hundred and one thanks to HAA and its organising committee! On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 26th June, 2006