Since its inception, I have attended 8 of them the last of which was in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 27th to 29th October, 2006. I went there a day earlier with 7 other hashers from MH3 (Malacca Hash House Harriers) namely, Holly Leong, Bombastic, Helen Lee, Camel Lok, Hawaii Goh, Nancy Low and my partner Molly Wong by Air Asia from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). Going along with us was harriet Ketat from Lanchang Kuning Hash of Pekan Baru, Indonesia. The direct flight took us 2 hours and 40 minutes. While at the KLIA, we met fellow hashers James Bond and GM Cocker who said that they were also heading for Interhash in Chiang Mai but would be adjourning at Bangkok for 1 day understandably to bang their cocks first. What a good prelude!
Chiang Mai is a beautiful city situated in northern Thailand. It is a popular tourist destination with friendly people, fine weather and good food.
The registration on the first day was held at Empress Hotel in the city centre. It was crowded with ardent hashers from all over the world. Familiar faces were met, greetings were exchanged and grandfather stories were told. Among them were Looi Nai Boon and Hardy Boy from Mother Hash and Stephen Quek, a veteran hasher from Sarawak whom I have known since 1972 when I first joined the Kuching Hash. Each participant was given, to name a few, a backpack containing 2 T-shirts, a rain coat, a towel, a condom, a magazine, a hash directory and an Interhash 2008 voting card. Counters were set up by bidders of the coming Interhash 2008 namely, Singapore, Genting Highlands, Penang, Perth, Bali and Kenya Hashes. Generous freebies such as T-shirt, sticker and headband were given. Light Malaysian food such as satay, fish-ball, popiah and cendul were served with free-flowing beer by Genting Highlands.
On the same evening, we were fetched from our Paddy Field Hotel in the city centre by bus to the 700 Year Stadium Main Venue which is some 10 km away for the opening ceremony. It is indeed a big and modern stadium with big parking space. The buffet dinner of assorted delicious Thai food which was served with free-flowing Singa beer was held at an open field beside a lake outside the stadium. Stalls were set up by a number of hashing chapters to sell souvenirs. Bidders of coming Interhash presented their bids with dances and songs on the stage. The programme ended at around midnight.
On the second day, we arrived at the said Main Venue at around noon. It was packed with thousands of enthusiastic hashers who were looking forward for a good run. In all there were 22 runs which made up of ball-breaker, long, medium, short and old fart’s runs with the distances of between 22 km and 4 km. Each run was limited to 300 runners with 7 buses. Most runners chose the medium and short runs. It was of no exception to Holly Leong, Looi Nai Boon, Garfield and me who chose Run No. 6 which was a medium and short run of 9.1 km and 4.9 km respectively set by Mish Mash. The run-site was at San Kamphaeng Recreation Park which is 30 minutes drive away. The run started at 1.50 pm after a short briefing by the hare. It was quite a tough run which went up and down 3 rocky hills with loose gravel through an orchard and forest for some 50 minutes before arriving at a T-junction which led to the medium run on the right and short run on the left. As the soles of my shoes were partly damaged which made me uncomfortable, I chose the short run which was another 2 km away through gentle terrain passing by a few farm houses. I was the first to arrive back at the run-site at 3.10 pm followed by Holly Leong 20 minutes later. The last runner was back at 4.20 pm when the hash circle was on. Light food and cold Singa beer were provided. As usual, a good number of sinners were on-downed.
On-On was held at the Main Venue. It was well attended. The food was more or less similar to the previous night with free-flowing Singa beer. It was there that I met fellow Malaccan hashers Dennis the Menace, Carol the Twin Tower, Bombastic, GM Cocker, James Bond and Vibrator. Dennis the Menace said that he went for the long run which took him 3 hours to complete. A big salute to him for his admirable effort. Keep it up, guy!
The programme of the night saw the performance of unique Thai cultural dances. It was then announced by its organizing committee that the number of Interhash 2006 attendance was 5,700 which broke the Interhash record. Live band from Bangkok was then in attendance with hot music. Avid dancers led by James Bond were seen dancing wildly on the floor to the applause of fellow hashers. It was a marvelous night. I did not stay long to wait for the completion of its programme which included Hash Cabaret Acts and Down Down Competition.
My last run on the third day was at Run No.19 which offered a medium and short run of 9.7 km and 4.9 km respectively. It was set by the Combined China Hashes at Ajarn Prapat Farm Area, Mae Jo which is some 40 minutes bus drive from the Main Venue. A total of 6 bus loads of hashers took part. I took the short run with my partner Molly Wong and Stephen Kwek who tripped and injured his left eye the previous day. The trails with 3 simple checks meandered through the longan and mango orchards around a lake. The terrain was flat with beautiful scenery. The run was completed in 40 minutes. An energetic harriet who took the medium run fell down and injured her left arm and face. She was attended to and sent to the hospital by the medical personnel on-site. Hopefully her injuries were not serious and she has recovered. Similar to the previous run, light food and cold beer were provided at the run-site to replace the lost sweat and energy. During the hash circle, the hares and a good number of sinners were on-downed.
Like the previous 2 nights, the On-On which was held at the Main Venue was well attended. Varieties of tasty Thai food were served at the stalls. They went down well with the free-flowing Singa beer. While enjoying our food and drink, we moved around meeting old and new friends and engaged in chit-chatting. It was another marvelous night. We left the venue early before the completion of its programme which included Interhash 2008 Announcement. However, I was later told that Perth had succeeded in acquiring the coming Interhash 2008. It was later confirmed by its committee member Wong Yong Lim on 1st November when I met him at Chiang Mai Airport on my way back to Malaysia. Congratulations! It was its third bid and it will be held from 21st to 23rd March, 2008. Knowing Perth, a great hashing run-site which hosted The Pan Asia Hash 1999 at Burswood which I attended with Vibrator, I have great confidence of its ability to organize a great, enjoyable and memorable Interhash 2008. So do not hesitate to enroll it, fellow hashers! For more details, please log in its website..www.interhash2008.com...See you there in 16 months!
It is undisputable from the above that it was a well organized Interhash which offered us good freebies, good run, good food, good drink, good time and good fellowship. Credits should be given to its organizing committee for its great and untiring efforts which enable us to enjoy it fully and left Chiang Mai with smiling face and fond memory. Thank you! On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 15th November, 2006
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by Drug Buster