SHOT - Home

WE ARE ON FOR

VIENTIANNE, LAOS

DECEMBER 20TH - 22ND 2008

(SATURDAY TO MONDAY)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE AMENDED DATES.

The reason being Airasia only flies to/from Vientianne on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Therefore, those who only want to do the 'short' trip can fly in on Saturday, December 20, and return on Tuesday, December 23.

PLEASE SEE THE ITINERARY PAGE FOR A TENTATIVE PROGRAMME BY THE HARES AND A SIDE TOUR ORGANISED BY OPERA.

MEANWHILE............

A SPECIAL REPORT OF THE LAST SHOT 7 IN ANYER

SOLSTICE HASH ON TOUR
RUN # 7
Venue: Jakarta/Anyer, Indonesia
June 19-21, 2008

After a slow build-up, the number of participants signing up for SHOT # 7 in Jakarta/Anyer/Krakatoa went up like the proverbial crescendo in the last month, doubling up to about 120 participants. This number represents the 2nd largest group for any SHOT, only outnumbered by SHOT # 5 in Hanoi, which elicited 146 participants. It helps that there are 4 daily flights into Jakarta, and tickets remained reasonable till almost the eve of event.

Krakatoa off in the distance, still active

Participants were spoilt for choices regarding flight awere flying in on various different flights, some electing to get in a day or two earlier, while the vast majority arrived on the Friday, June 19th. The long SHOT weekend has now taken on a regular routine, with the Registration Party on Friday evening, main Joint Run with the local hash on Saturday, and a fun/hangover run on Sunday, culminating with the usual boisterous ‘circle’ at a bar/eatery.
The evening of Friday, June 19, saw a big congregation of hashers down by the foyer, or just milling around at the entrance, of the Hotel Melawai in Block M, the entertainment district of Jakarta. Robin Cox, Liz Tan, and a few others who arrived a day earlier, have the presence of mind to ‘recce’ the venue for the Registration Party, the Everest Bar, owned by fellow hasher Anish ‘Sake’ Shakya who is of Nepalese origin. This proved to be a clever initiative, as the venue was some 1.2km and many turns away! A detailed description was provided on copied paper, and this ensured that we could all make it to the party without losing our way en route. The registration of participants, distribution of freebies comprising a t-shirt and sarong, and collection of payment for all the events lined up for the 3 days, charged at only RM180 per pax, was ably handled by volunteer Liz and Nan, and fantastic entertainment was provided courtesy of the bar, although the finger food proffered was, well, finger-sized! Needless to say, at the end of the party, many sauntered off to eateries on the way back to the hotel.

Everest Bar, Block M, spot the SHOT banners?

Early on the morning of Saturday June 20, hashers were all raring to set off for Anyer/Krakatau, not wanting to miss the buses, which were due to depart at 9am. We piled onto 2 big buses, and 4 smaller vans, and the journey took 3 1/2 hours, finally arriving at the 5-star Marbello Hotel in Anyer at 12.30pm. There was some consternation when the reception claimed they didn’t receive the required room reservation, but this was later settled to our satisfaction when
the ‘shortfalls’ were made up for with penthouse suites! Most were nicely surprised that we were charged 3-star rates for a 5-star facility, thanks to the superb effort of the hares for the weekend, John Lavelle and Chu Chu, working in tandem with local Krakatau hasher Craig.

More confusion reigned when the transports to the run site did not arrive to pick us. It later transpired that the same buses that took us from Jakarta were to deliver us to the run site, but due to a lack of communication, the drivers were not properly informed, and have taken off, leaving us in the lurch. Some quick thinking by Kamikaze led to the hares being contacted, and ‘cattle trucks’ were dispatched as transports. Hashers were tickled pink to be corralled onto the open-top trucks, packed like sardines but in good humor due to the air of festivities, like clowns being led to the circus, which caused a lot of amusement to the kampong folks as we were whisked off along the narrow coastal road to the run site about 20km away. On hand to welcome us to the run site were a horde of around 60 local hashers belonging to the Krakatau Hash, who mostly hailed from Jakarta. Some were familiar faces who have had stints in Kuala Lumpur in earlier years, so there was plenty of camaraderie and hand shaking.

The hares and local hashers then jumped into their cars and led the way to the starting point of the runs, some 6 – 8 km down the road further east from Anyer. We were deposited in the middle of a kampong, given a very quick briefing by hare John Lavelle about how to get onto the Walk, Medium and long runs, and promptly set off with gusto down the track towards the paddy fields.
For those who chose the medium run, it was a wise decision, as we have lost invaluable time due to the transportation problem, and daylight was falling fast. The long run, which was logged at more than 12km, took the runners along a series of jungle-clad hills, mostly following its ridge lines, but at times through valleys and contours, making the going most arduous. By the time the front pack crested the final plateau, it was dusk, and the precipitous descend was painfully slow. The home trail finally leveled out at the lower reaches, passing through some orchards and kampongs in pitch darkness. The last ¾ km before finishing at the run site was torturous, as the trail went along paddy bunds with width of only about 10 inches and, coupled with the poor visibility, led us to lose our balance and splash into the water-logged fields repeatedly. Except for the first three finishers, most of the rest reached the run site more than 3 hrs after commencing the run, utterly exhausted from the exertions and falls.

The stand pipe at the run site was a huge relief, allowing us to clean up our muck-caked bodies and freshening sufficiently, then changed into hash garb for the circle.

The jointly held circle between the Krakatau Hash and SHOT was grippingly-hilarious as usual, with all kinds of charges, real or imagined, leveled by the various Grandmasters on purported sinners and miscreants, who were unceremoniously ‘sentenced’ to down-downs with the Bintang beers and the obligatory SHOT shot.

The whole crowd then adjourned to the Dragon Restaurant opposite the Marbello Hotel for the On On.
For the main protagonists of the weekend – hares John, Chu Chu, GMs Kamikaze & Opera, as well as the local hare ‘FKG’ Shirley and SHOT volunteers Nai Kwong and Ah Meng, there was no respite, as one of our own – Dr. Jagjit – has still not returned to the run site from the run. It was 11.30pm, some 7 hours since the run started. We again changed into hash gears, complete with torches and bottles of mineral water, and headed back to the starting point, breaking up into 3 teams to increase the chances and possibly reduce the time it will take searching for him. One of the teams went in from the home trail, another took a path straight to intersect the mid-point of the run at the plateau, whilst the last retraced the run from the starting point.

It was well after 1am when a call came in on the mobile from the first party that the straggler has been found, somewhat disoriented from exhaustion and dehydration, with a twisted ankle, the latter accounting for his excruciatingly slow pace and eventual fall down a slope and losing the paper trail. There was no time for jubilation, however, and we ambled back to the run site, and were then driven back to the hotel, arriving well after 3am, completely knackered.

Sunday morning’s ‘hangover’ point-to-point run, started from the Marbello Hotel’s foyer, ostensibly for a 5km easy run to the Blue Moon Bar, which is part-owned by the infamous Nick Leeson, whose now well-chronicled single-handed exploits in derivative trading bankrupted the august 2-century old Barings Bank, a demolition unprecedented in the annals of the British banking industry. The promise of a 5km easy run, of course, was a ruse to work up our thirst for the amber liquid, for it was timed when the sun was almost at its zenith, easily 7km in length, passing through the paddy sawahs, a long stretch of beach, under the unrelenting heat of the scotching sun. The hares’ objective, of course, was attained, as the throngs – those who actually did the run – guzzled up the golden nectar like thirsty camels upon reaching the finishing point at the Blue Moon Bar.

The atmosphere was one of carefree relaxation, as we lazed around the lawn and partook of the scrumptious buffet lunch provided, enjoying the Bintangs servedby delectable promoters.

Jon entertaining the troops

The circle was entertaining as usual, and Jon Button was at his usual best belting out quick-fire numbers, much to the astonishment and delight of the adoring crowd. An inspired Opera later came out with an award to the 2 SHOTers deemed to have given most constructive suggestions for the weekend, and named them ‘hares-in-waiting’ for SHOT # 9, slated for June 2009 (SHOT # 8 having been set for Vientiane in Laos, with Jimmy Leggett as chief hare). Lillian Wee and Wendy Lum has the enviable reputation of receiving this prized honor.

With the completion of all SHOT events, about 20 chose to return home on the Sunday, while the rest stayed for another indulgent night. The same transports turned up on Monday morning, and delivered us to the Jakarta airport. While the majority went back to KL, about 30 headed to Solo for a post-SHOT excursion to tour the world-famous Borobudor temple complex and other attractions thereabout, eventually returning via Jogjakarta by another AirAsia flight.
All in all another great SHOT weekend. Many thanks to our hares John and Choo, our sponsors AirAsia, Everest Bar, and Blue Moon Bars.

On On to Vientiane, Laos, December 20-22, 2008!!!

LUSTFUL WANDERERS S.H.O.T. !

Hashes are, for practical reasons, locality based, which accounts for why almost all clubs are named after the towns/cities/regions where they originate from and congregate for their runs. Because there are no fixed and fast rules, no insufferable and condescending authority to impose DOs and DON'Ts - a sacrament most holy to all hashers - majority of hashes have developed their very own unique characteristics and idiosyncrasies, coming in various guises and concepts with different or marginally altered sets of rules/bylaws. The resultant lack of homogeneity is what makes inter-hashing, or hashing with chapters other than one's own, so interesting.

The mushrooming of hash clubs and consequently the increasing frequency of celebration runs in recent years has spawned inter-hashing activities and travels as hashers, most of whom are naturally wanderlust with a big dose of travel bugs in them, visit and reciprocates visits. Of late, this wayfaring hashing trend has been made more affordable due in large part to the availability of economy/budget flights. Whereas the average person traveled overseas perhaps only once a year just 20 years ago, he/she could now afford to venture abroad 2, 3 or more times yearly, irrespective of the appreciation of real disposable income. Promotional flight tickets offered by Airasia, Asia's largest and best networked low cost carrier, for example, could cost less than travels by car, bus, or even train. In fact, if one log in and make internet booking at the opportune time, it could even cost nothing, as a large group of hashers recently found out to their absolute delight.

Latching onto this symbiotic complement between the need for hash travels and the availability cum proliferation of budget flights, a group of like-minded hashers banded together to form the Solstice Hash On Tour (S.H.O.T.) which, as its name implies, hashes twice a year on the weekends nearest to the winter and summer solstices, and always in a different, exotic location. Taking a leaf out of the Interhash tradition, this upstart allows attending participants to choose their next run destination, with interested hares presenting their proposed destinations, and the party that garners the majority vote wins. Whichever destination the members select, it promises to be yet another great sojourn for this group of wandering hashers.

With flight tickets for hares' recces and a generous dollop of freebies both sponsored by patron Airasia, the nascent travelling hash took flight with its inaugural run/excursion to the idyllic destination of Bali in June 2005. Attended by close to a hundred travelling participants from various countries and aided by the local host Bali H3 which turned up in force and helped ground arrangements, the event was an unqualified success. Following in its wake, the succeeding run/excursion to Angeles City of the Philippines was near as well attended. The coming-of-age 3rd run, a milestone that gave it entry into the Hash Genealogy as a properly constituted hash chapter, was held in Koh Samet, Thailand, followed by Phnom Penh in Cambodia (4th), Hanoi in Vietnam (5th), Shenzhen in China (6th), Krakatoa in Indonesia (7th) …
Side trips and ancillary events are important constituents, and many turns up with their non-hashing spouses and partners, ample testimony to the wholesome approach and endeavor of the hash.


	Main
	WE ARE ON FOR VIENTIANNE, LAOS DECEMBER 20TH - 22ND 2008 (SATURDAY TO MONDAY) PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE AMENDED DATES. The reason being Airasia only flies to/from Vientianne on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Therefore, those who only want to do the 'short' trip can fly in on Saturday, December 20, and return on Tuesday, December 23. PLEASE SEE THE ITINERARY PAGE FOR A TENTATIVE PROGRAMME BY THE HARES AND A SIDE TOUR ORGANISED BY OPERA. MEANWHILE............ A SPECIAL REPORT OF THE LAST SHOT 7 IN ANYER SOLSTICE HASH ON TOUR RUN # 7 Venue: Jakarta/Anyer, Indonesia June 19-21, 2008 After a slow build-up, the number of participants signing up for SHOT # 7 in Jakarta/Anyer/Krakatoa went up like the proverbial crescendo in the last month, doubling up to about 120 participants. This number represents the 2nd largest group for any SHOT, only outnumbered by SHOT # 5 in Hanoi, which elicited 146 participants. It helps that there are 4 daily flights into Jakarta, and tickets remained reasonable till almost the eve of event. Krakatoa off in the distance, still active Participants were spoilt for choices regarding flight awere flying in on various different flights, some electing to get in a day or two earlier, while the vast majority arrived on the Friday, June 19th. The long SHOT weekend has now taken on a regular routine, with the Registration Party on Friday evening, main Joint Run with the local hash on Saturday, and a fun/hangover run on Sunday, culminating with the usual boisterous ‘circle’ at a bar/eatery. The evening of Friday, June 19, saw a big congregation of hashers down by the foyer, or just milling around at the entrance, of the Hotel Melawai in Block M, the entertainment district of Jakarta. Robin Cox, Liz Tan, and a few others who arrived a day earlier, have the presence of mind to ‘recce’ the venue for the Registration Party, the Everest Bar, owned by fellow hasher Anish ‘Sake’ Shakya who is of Nepalese origin. This proved to be a clever initiative, as the venue was some 1.2km and many turns away! A detailed description was provided on copied paper, and this ensured that we could all make it to the party without losing our way en route. The registration of participants, distribution of freebies comprising a t-shirt and sarong, and collection of payment for all the events lined up for the 3 days, charged at only RM180 per pax, was ably handled by volunteer Liz and Nan, and fantastic entertainment was provided courtesy of the bar, although the finger food proffered was, well, finger-sized! Needless to say, at the end of the party, many sauntered off to eateries on the way back to the hotel. Everest Bar, Block M, spot the SHOT banners? Early on the morning of Saturday June 20, hashers were all raring to set off for Anyer/Krakatau, not wanting to miss the buses, which were due to depart at 9am. We piled onto 2 big buses, and 4 smaller vans, and the journey took 3 1/2 hours, finally arriving at the 5-star Marbello Hotel in Anyer at 12.30pm. There was some consternation when the reception claimed they didn’t receive the required room reservation, but this was later settled to our satisfaction when the ‘shortfalls’ were made up for with penthouse suites! Most were nicely surprised that we were charged 3-star rates for a 5-star facility, thanks to the superb effort of the hares for the weekend, John Lavelle and Chu Chu, working in tandem with local Krakatau hasher Craig. More confusion reigned when the transports to the run site did not arrive to pick us. It later transpired that the same buses that took us from Jakarta were to deliver us to the run site, but due to a lack of communication, the drivers were not properly informed, and have taken off, leaving us in the lurch. Some quick thinking by Kamikaze led to the hares being contacted, and ‘cattle trucks’ were dispatched as transports. Hashers were tickled pink to be corralled onto the open-top trucks, packed like sardines but in good humor due to the air of festivities, like clowns being led to the circus, which caused a lot of amusement to the kampong folks as we were whisked off along the narrow coastal road to the run site about 20km away. On hand to welcome us to the run site were a horde of around 60 local hashers belonging to the Krakatau Hash, who mostly hailed from Jakarta. Some were familiar faces who have had stints in Kuala Lumpur in earlier years, so there was plenty of camaraderie and hand shaking. The hares and local hashers then jumped into their cars and led the way to the starting point of the runs, some 6 – 8 km down the road further east from Anyer. We were deposited in the middle of a kampong, given a very quick briefing by hare John Lavelle about how to get onto the Walk, Medium and long runs, and promptly set off with gusto down the track towards the paddy fields. For those who chose the medium run, it was a wise decision, as we have lost invaluable time due to the transportation problem, and daylight was falling fast. The long run, which was logged at more than 12km, took the runners along a series of jungle-clad hills, mostly following its ridge lines, but at times through valleys and contours, making the going most arduous. By the time the front pack crested the final plateau, it was dusk, and the precipitous descend was painfully slow. The home trail finally leveled out at the lower reaches, passing through some orchards and kampongs in pitch darkness. The last ¾ km before finishing at the run site was torturous, as the trail went along paddy bunds with width of only about 10 inches and, coupled with the poor visibility, led us to lose our balance and splash into the water-logged fields repeatedly. Except for the first three finishers, most of the rest reached the run site more than 3 hrs after commencing the run, utterly exhausted from the exertions and falls. The stand pipe at the run site was a huge relief, allowing us to clean up our muck-caked bodies and freshening sufficiently, then changed into hash garb for the circle. The jointly held circle between the Krakatau Hash and SHOT was grippingly-hilarious as usual, with all kinds of charges, real or imagined, leveled by the various Grandmasters on purported sinners and miscreants, who were unceremoniously ‘sentenced’ to down-downs with the Bintang beers and the obligatory SHOT shot. The whole crowd then adjourned to the Dragon Restaurant opposite the Marbello Hotel for the On On. For the main protagonists of the weekend – hares John, Chu Chu, GMs Kamikaze & Opera, as well as the local hare ‘FKG’ Shirley and SHOT volunteers Nai Kwong and Ah Meng, there was no respite, as one of our own – Dr. Jagjit – has still not returned to the run site from the run. It was 11.30pm, some 7 hours since the run started. We again changed into hash gears, complete with torches and bottles of mineral water, and headed back to the starting point, breaking up into 3 teams to increase the chances and possibly reduce the time it will take searching for him. One of the teams went in from the home trail, another took a path straight to intersect the mid-point of the run at the plateau, whilst the last retraced the run from the starting point. It was well after 1am when a call came in on the mobile from the first party that the straggler has been found, somewhat disoriented from exhaustion and dehydration, with a twisted ankle, the latter accounting for his excruciatingly slow pace and eventual fall down a slope and losing the paper trail. There was no time for jubilation, however, and we ambled back to the run site, and were then driven back to the hotel, arriving well after 3am, completely knackered. Sunday morning’s ‘hangover’ point-to-point run, started from the Marbello Hotel’s foyer, ostensibly for a 5km easy run to the Blue Moon Bar, which is part-owned by the infamous Nick Leeson, whose now well-chronicled single-handed exploits in derivative trading bankrupted the august 2-century old Barings Bank, a demolition unprecedented in the annals of the British banking industry. The promise of a 5km easy run, of course, was a ruse to work up our thirst for the amber liquid, for it was timed when the sun was almost at its zenith, easily 7km in length, passing through the paddy sawahs, a long stretch of beach, under the unrelenting heat of the scotching sun. The hares’ objective, of course, was attained, as the throngs – those who actually did the run – guzzled up the golden nectar like thirsty camels upon reaching the finishing point at the Blue Moon Bar. The atmosphere was one of carefree relaxation, as we lazed around the lawn and partook of the scrumptious buffet lunch provided, enjoying the Bintangs servedby delectable promoters. Jon entertaining the troops The circle was entertaining as usual, and Jon Button was at his usual best belting out quick-fire numbers, much to the astonishment and delight of the adoring crowd. An inspired Opera later came out with an award to the 2 SHOTers deemed to have given most constructive suggestions for the weekend, and named them ‘hares-in-waiting’ for SHOT # 9, slated for June 2009 (SHOT # 8 having been set for Vientiane in Laos, with Jimmy Leggett as chief hare). Lillian Wee and Wendy Lum has the enviable reputation of receiving this prized honor. With the completion of all SHOT events, about 20 chose to return home on the Sunday, while the rest stayed for another indulgent night. The same transports turned up on Monday morning, and delivered us to the Jakarta airport. While the majority went back to KL, about 30 headed to Solo for a post-SHOT excursion to tour the world-famous Borobudor temple complex and other attractions thereabout, eventually returning via Jogjakarta by another AirAsia flight. All in all another great SHOT weekend. Many thanks to our hares John and Choo, our sponsors AirAsia, Everest Bar, and Blue Moon Bars. On On to Vientiane, Laos, December 20-22, 2008!!! LUSTFUL WANDERERS S.H.O.T. ! Hashes are, for practical reasons, locality based, which accounts for why almost all clubs are named after the towns/cities/regions where they originate from and congregate for their runs. Because there are no fixed and fast rules, no insufferable and condescending authority to impose DOs and DON'Ts - a sacrament most holy to all hashers - majority of hashes have developed their very own unique characteristics and idiosyncrasies, coming in various guises and concepts with different or marginally altered sets of rules/bylaws. The resultant lack of homogeneity is what makes inter-hashing, or hashing with chapters other than one's own, so interesting. The mushrooming of hash clubs and consequently the increasing frequency of celebration runs in recent years has spawned inter-hashing activities and travels as hashers, most of whom are naturally wanderlust with a big dose of travel bugs in them, visit and reciprocates visits. Of late, this wayfaring hashing trend has been made more affordable due in large part to the availability of economy/budget flights. Whereas the average person traveled overseas perhaps only once a year just 20 years ago, he/she could now afford to venture abroad 2, 3 or more times yearly, irrespective of the appreciation of real disposable income. Promotional flight tickets offered by Airasia, Asia's largest and best networked low cost carrier, for example, could cost less than travels by car, bus, or even train. In fact, if one log in and make internet booking at the opportune time, it could even cost nothing, as a large group of hashers recently found out to their absolute delight. Latching onto this symbiotic complement between the need for hash travels and the availability cum proliferation of budget flights, a group of like-minded hashers banded together to form the Solstice Hash On Tour (S.H.O.T.) which, as its name implies, hashes twice a year on the weekends nearest to the winter and summer solstices, and always in a different, exotic location. Taking a leaf out of the Interhash tradition, this upstart allows attending participants to choose their next run destination, with interested hares presenting their proposed destinations, and the party that garners the majority vote wins. Whichever destination the members select, it promises to be yet another great sojourn for this group of wandering hashers. With flight tickets for hares' recces and a generous dollop of freebies both sponsored by patron Airasia, the nascent travelling hash took flight with its inaugural run/excursion to the idyllic destination of Bali in June 2005. Attended by close to a hundred travelling participants from various countries and aided by the local host Bali H3 which turned up in force and helped ground arrangements, the event was an unqualified success. Following in its wake, the succeeding run/excursion to Angeles City of the Philippines was near as well attended. The coming-of-age 3rd run, a milestone that gave it entry into the Hash Genealogy as a properly constituted hash chapter, was held in Koh Samet, Thailand, followed by Phnom Penh in Cambodia (4th), Hanoi in Vietnam (5th), Shenzhen in China (6th), Krakatoa in Indonesia (7th) … Side trips and ancillary events are important constituents, and many turns up with their non-hashing spouses and partners, ample testimony to the wholesome approach and endeavor of the hash.