The Stud is a young and jovial hasher with tight work schedule. Owing to his work commitment, he seldom came for the hash run. However, he made it a point to set a run with a co-hare when his turn for the hare came. It was of no exception on last Tuesday when I was asked to be his co-hare at the last minute when his scheduled co-hare Kiasu Lee withdrew for an urgent business trip to Kuala Lumpur. As such, due to the time constraint, no ‘reccee’ was conducted on the runsite for this run.
It was a hazy afternoon with an API (Air Pollutant Index) of some 120 which is not healthy for outdoor activities. However, it did not deter the crazy and devoted hashers from hashing. As such and as appointed, the hare, my partner and I went to the popular hashing runsite which is some 15 km north of Malacca city at 3.15 pm. After putting up 2 signboards at the main road, a small discussion on the pattern of our impending running trail and equipped ourselves with the usual paraphernalia of shredded paper, a knife, a torch light, a mobile phone and a bottle of drinking water each, we set out to lay the paper on the laterite road on the left into the matured oil palm plantation. After walking for some 30 minutes through the gentle terrain and on arrival at a cross junction in a rubber plantation, we set the first check. It was a simple one with its connecting paper placed behind a rubber tree some 100 meters ahead in front of a makeshift hut.
The trail continued for another 25 minutes through the rubber plantation, across a drain under a huge and lengthy water pipe, upslope into an oil palm plantation and at a T junction in front of a huge water tank where we set the second and last simple check. Its connecting paper was placed behind an oil palm tree some 100 meters on the left.
The trail then proceeded into another rubber plantation for another 10 minutes before we made a U turn for the home trail. After passing through 2 barbed-wire fencings, across a short stretch of open land, into another oil palm plantation and rubber estate where we set the first and only simple false trail on the left. Its connecting paper was placed behind an oil palm tree some 50 meters on the left of the back trail
From then on, it was another 20 minutes trudge through the bushy and undulation open terrain before arriving back at runsite at 5.20 pm where some early birds were already there. Among them were Dr. Pandirajah, Oil Rig Lim and Dr. Tan. As time passed by, more hashers trickled in. They included Rubbish Bui, Ah Kiau, Albert, Gilbert, Dr. Iqbal, Bombastic, Wendy, Chloe, Sharpshooter Robert, Holly, Helen, GM Cocker, Kiasu Lee, Nancy, Hawaii Goh, Peter, Mary, Moon Face, NKS, Sweetie Pie, Sleeping Beauty, Janet, Carol the Twin Tower, Ranger, Pecker, Biggles and a Kiwi guest. Carol the Twin Tower was seen with a smiling face. On being asked, she said that her other half Dennis the Menace could not attend the run as he was attending a meeting. No wonder she looked so happy! Poor Dennis the Menace, we were sure to miss his company and whiskey very much!
The run started at 6.00 pm after a short and sweet warm-up exercise conducted by Oil Rig Lim. Led by a few energetic runners, the pack of some 20 odd runners followed the paper trail into the oil palm plantation. They were later joined by a few late runners the last of which was Vibrator who started the run 30 minutes later. What happened during the run only God knows!
It was at 6.45 pm sharp when the first runner arrived back at the runsite. He was none other than energetic Dr. Pandirajah. He was closely followed by Pecker, Ranger and Larry. As time passed by, more and more runners emerged. The last runner who arrived back at 7.30 pm when the sky was dark was Vibrator. He was sweating profusely from head to balls and toe. Luckily he did not get lost. Otherwise his other half Biggles would have to spend the night at the runsite waiting for him! Feedbacks gathered from the runners stated that it was a good 7-km run. As hare and co-hares, we felt happy that our efforts were not wasted.
Hash circle was conducted jointly by GM Cocker and Bombastic. The hare was put on ice and on-downed followed by a few sinners who included the Kiwi guest. It was then that Bombastic extended his invitation to all hashers to his house in Taman Sentosa at 12.00 pm on the coming 21st October in conjunction with the Deepavali cerebration. So don’t forget to go with empty stomach, fellow hashers!
For the first time On-On was held at house No. 96 food centre, Jonker Street in Malacca town. It was a buffet dinner with delicious servings of fried rice, fried noodle, fried chicken, grilled fish, mixed vegetable, bean curd, vegetable curry, fruit juice and cendol. In attendance were 30 odd hungry hashers who cleared up all the food which was on the hare. He was on-downed once again for the good run, good food and good hospitality. The pack had only started to disperse at 9.30 pm with full tummy and smiling face. A big thank you to you, hare! On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 19th October, 2006.