Rehashed Run No: 1679; Occasion: Chinese New Year Run; Date: 27th February, 2007; Venue: Bukit Katil.
Chinese New Year Run is one of the three festive runs organised yearly by MH3. The other two are Deepavali and Christmas Runs. Its main object is to share and enjoy the festival together more meaningfully and foster better fellowship. As such, it used to attract a big turn-out.
Come last Tuesday it was the Chinese New Year Run for the year of boar. It was set at the familiar runsite of Bukit Katil which is a short distance away at the outskirts of Malacca city.
It was a fine afternoon. On arrival at the runsite early, there was already a big crowd. Among them were Bombastic, Chloe, Mary, Kiasu Lee, Dr. Pandirajah and Ah Ho. They were gathering around chit-chatting while preparing for the run.
It was at 5.25 pm that the patience got the better of us. Led by Bombastic, Chloe, Mary, my partner and I started the run as early birds by following the paper into the matured oil palm plantation. It turned left after a few hundred meters and went straight for 10 minutes before hitting the first check. It was a simple check. Its connecting paper was found by me on the right some 100 meters away. As early birds, we did not join the paper.
The paper continued to proceed for some 15 minutes passing by two village houses and a drain before hitting the second check which was also found by me in a fruit plantation across a deep ditch. To avoid crossing it, we followed a track on the left beside a zinc fencing. It proceeded down slope for a short distance where it went across another deep ditch. However, we avoided crossing it by making a short back trail and exiting through an unlocked iron gate on a laterite road on the left.
It was another short run of some 10 minutes through the oil palm plantation before arriving at a small lake where it hit the first and only false trail. After asking the 3 villagers who were fishing there, we made a back trail. A short distance on the left, the connecting paper was found by Bombastic.
From then on, it was another some 25 minutes of uninterrupted run across two ditches on single plank, through some estate living quarters and an Indian temple and through another oil palm plantation before arriving back at the runsite across the last ditch where JM Killer Tony was distributing a beautiful red and black collared T-shirt to each runner. The time then was 6.35 pm. On the way we met Ah Ho who was walking alone leisurely from the opposite direction. A few minutes later, the first scheduled runner Dr, Pandirajah emerged. The last runner was out at 7.40 pm when the sky was dark He was none other than Vibrator who started the run late due to his busy business schedule. What a great relief to his other half, Biggles, who was waiting anxiously for his return!
It was a comfortable short run of some 5 km. Surprisingly, it was set by JM Killer Tony who is known to set long and tough runs which made our balls shrinking! For a change, most probably he wanted us to enjoy the run on this auspicious occasion.
Hash circle was conducted by GM Cocker. It was well attended by some 30 hashers who included a few guests. Among them was the long lost former MH3 member David Todd from Alaska who had left Malacca for the last few years and whom I last met in Cardiff in July 2004 during the 14th Interhash. He was in Malacca on vacation. Sorry to hear that he did not continue hashing in Alaska as there is none there in spite of it sizable population of 600,000 which is slightly smaller than Malacca which has 7 hashing chapters. Anyway, he could always join us whenever he is in Malacca. But don’t forget to bring along his other half, Susan Todd, who is our ex GM! You see, we really miss her fellowship after such a long absence! Our best regards to her.
A cerebration run without an On-On is incomplete. It was held at the ever-popular hashing New Good World Restaurant in the downtown Melaka Raya. As expected, a total of 7 tables were fully taken up. A six-course Chinese dinner was served with the traditional Yee Sang and free-flowing cold beer. To add glory to the occasion, a few adult hashing games were played and a lucky lottery pick and lucky draw with many generous prizes were held. The atmosphere was exhilarating which saw everybody enjoying it. The do was on the 46 Chinese members. The crowd had only started to disperse at 11.15 pm after an enjoyable and memorable night. Happy New Year! On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 3rd March, 2007.
