Lawrence Lee is one of the several veteran hashers whom I have known since early 1990s when I first joined the MH3. However, owing to his new job assignment in Batu Pahat, Johor which is quite a far distance away from Malacca, he was forced to leave us in mid 1990s. Since then, he had only run with us occasionally when he came back on vacation. And it was only a few months ago that he has started to run with us regularly again when he came back to Malacca for good. Welcome back!

Come last Tuesday it was his turn as hare for the first time on rotation at a new runsite which is some 30 km south of Malacca city. And as expected, it had attracted a big turnout.

It was a fine afternoon. As usual, my partner and I arrived early at the runsite which is situated at the fringe of Merlimau Industrial Park. Not surprisingly, only 2 cars were seen parked there. They belonged to none other than the hare and co-hare Killer Tony who is known to set long and tough run without reccee which used to cause our balls shrinking.

It was at 5.25 pm that my partner and I started the run as early birds by following the paper on the left along a laterite road into a well-kept oil palm plantation. After walking northward for some 35 minutes, it hit the first simple check at a cross junction. Its connecting paper was found by me behind an oil palm tree some 100 meters ahead a few minutes later. As usual, as early birds, we did not join the paper.

The paper continued to track northward through the serene oil palm plantation for some 15 minutes before hitting the second simple check at another cross junction. It was found by my partner a short distance away on the left which led eastward a short while later.

It was another some 15 minutes leisure walk eastward that the paper hit the third and last complicated check at a T-junction across an iron bridge near the fringe of Serkam Industrial Park. By then we were being caught up by a pack of scheduled front runners led by Dennis the Menace. A spread-out search was conducted with Dennis the Menace and me passing by a factory thinking that we were on our way back to the runsite nearby. It was only after enquiring from a passerby that we were told that our runsite is a few km away on the left of the back trail. While making our U turn, we heard the shouts of ‘On On!’ by some front runners a short distance away and followed them. From then on, it was another some 50 minutes walk and cum jog zigzagging through the oil palm plantation before arriving back at the runsite at 7.20 pm where the hare, co-hares Killer Tony and Sexy Chan, and a big pack of front runners were enjoying their cold beer. Towards the end of the trail, we encountered a sudden drizzle which cool us down.

It was medium and enjoyable run through the flat terrain of oil palm plantation. According to co-hare Killer Tony, it was a 7.45 km run as recorded by his GPS with 4 checks which took them 2 hours to set. The last check must have been joined by the front runners. Handshakes were extended to the hare and co-hares for setting such an enjoyable run. The last runners were back at 8.05 pm when the sky was dark and the hash circle was over. They were none other then late starters The Stud and Smiling Lady. Luckily they were not led astray by the ghost during this Ghost Festival Month. Otherwise they would have to spend the night in the oil palm plantation!

Hash circle was conducted by GM Cocker. It was well-attended. As usual, the hare, co-hares and sinners were put on ice and on-downed.

On On was held at the nearby Happy Landing Restaurant. A total of 6 tables were fully occupied. A 6-course delicious Chinese dinner was served. Another on-downed session was held for the hare, co-hares and sinners. It was then that GM Cocker reminded us to put on the Hawaiian dress on the coming Hawaiian Night party to be held at The Malacca Club, Rotunda on tomorrow night. The dinner was partly subsidized by the hare. Thanks hare for the good run and good food!

See you at the Hawaiian Night tomorrow.

On! On!

Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 31st August, 2007.

A Virgin Hare’s Long Run

Nelson Teng is a seasoned Malaccan hasher who has just joined MH3 recently. As such, we were looking forward anxiously for his virgin run which came on rotation last Tuesday.

It was a fine afternoon. On my early arrival with my partner at the familiar runsite beside the Durian Tunggal lake, there were already 3 other earlier birds. They were none other than Horlick, Strawberry and Gopal who were seen engaged in chitchatting while preparing for the impending run. However, although the hare and Bombastic’s cars were seen there, they were no where to be seen. Obviously there must have left early to set the run as hare and co-hare.

As usual, as old cocks and slow runners, my partner and I started the run as early birds at 5.30 pm. We followed the paper westward on the laterite road into a matured oil palm plantation which meandered along the huge and scenic Durian Tunggal lake covered with beautiful water lilies. A number of anglers were seen fishing around. They looked amazed to see us jogging on paper trail with a walking stick.

It was some 20 minutes later that the paper hit the first complicated check by the side of a deep ditch. Without crossing it, the connecting paper was found a short while later some 150 meters ahead. It then continued to proceed along the lake northward for another 15 minutes before hitting the second and more complicated check at a Y junction. While searching for its connecting paper left, right and centre unsuccessfully for the next 15 minutes, we were being caught up by a few scheduled front runners led by Strawberry. Another spread-out search some 200 meters northward resulted in us meeting an angler who told us that he saw the 2 men walking northward. Thinking that they were the hare and co-hare, we followed the said direction for the next 10 minutes without finding any paper. Instead, we met a motor-cyclist who told us that there was a paper trail northward by the side of a water pump beside an estate quarters for which we followed. After failing to locate it again, we made a U turn across a deep ditch. It was some 15 minutes later that we arrived back near a deep ditch a short distance away from the second check that we found its connecting paper and met 3 young guest runners comprising of a harrier and 2 harriets. We helped them to cross it by pulling them up with the walking stick.

The paper then continued to proceed southward through the oil palm plantation for some 15 minutes before hitting the first and only simple false trail at another Y junction which was joined by the front runners. The time then was 7.15 pm when the sky began to turn dark. We continued to follow the paper which zigzagged through the undulating terrains of a few drains, stretches of fruit orchards and rubber estates, and a vast stretch of matured oil palm plantation which made us panting and sweating profusely. As time passed by, the sky became darker and darker which made our vision poorer to locate the paper trail. Luckily both my partner and I had brought along with us a small torch light each. They enabled us to continue following the trail slowly. On the way up a slope, we were taken aback to see the sudden appearance of 2 dark figures from the left thinking that they were ghosts as it was then coincided with the Chinese month of Ghost Festival. To our great relief, they were not ghosts but our fellow hashers Smiling Lady and a guest harrier who could not proceed with their run due to pitch darkness. And to their great relief, they did not have to spend the night in the oil palm plantation by following us. From then on, it was another some 20 minutes slow walk zigzagging through the oil palm plantation and an orchard before arriving at the Durian Tunggal – Machap Road which is some 1 km away from the runsite. It was then that we were being picked up by the kind-hearted GM Cocker with his 4 Wheel Drive vehicle and arrived back at the runsite at 8.30 pm when the hash circle was over to the applause of a big pack of fellow hashers. We were the last runners to come back. Smile was seen on the face of The Stud. He still owes me a beer for leading his Smiling Lady out.

It was one of the longest runs in MH3 history which took most of us more than 2 hours to complete. According to the hare, its distance was 13 km which took him and co-hare Bombastic 2 ˝ hours to set without reccee. From my observation, it was not their intention to set it that way. But rather, it was their oversight to conduct a reccee at an unfamiliar runsite which resulted in them zigzagging left, right and centre and got lost. Anyway, it served as a good lesson and experience for all hashers.

On On was held at the nearby popular hashing restaurant of May Yuen in Machap Baru. It was well-attended with 5 tables fully occupied. A 6-course delicious Chinese food was served. An on-downed session was held for the hare, co-hare and sinners. In addition, a birthday cake was cut by the hashers who were born in September. Among them were Killer Tony and Kiasu Lee. The food was on the hare. Thanks. The crowd had only started to disperse at 10.45 pm.

See you at the coming run of Sleeping Beauty at Bertam Ulu.

On! On!

Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 6th September, 2007.

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