Hash House Harriers - Week 11 (I think)
Today's adventure was something more important that the other ones I posted about because this was a real event. If you are not part of the club and I presume you aren't, this might not be terribly meaningful to ya.
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Today we saw the leaving of one General Manager and an assigning of a new one, which is important because it happens every year.
The Hash House Harriers (HHH) are a group of drinkers with a running problem that get together as much as possible in order to run a bit in the jungle (for here anyway) and then drink a bunch and do silly things afterwards.
We started our journey at the entrance to a national park that has been abandoned long ago, which is a bit spooky but exactly what we look for. Then basically we go and run around as a team, finding our way down the pathways that were laid by the General Manager on his final day as boss until 8km later we return to the starting point and drink a bunch of beer and make fun of one another.
Today was special not just because we saw a "changing of the guard" as far as leadership is concerned but also because we had a group of guys visiting from Taiwan from their Hash team back there. They spoke almost no English but still had a grand time participating with the bunch of drunks from the Chiang Mai Hash.
my apologies for the blurred images but flashes during these ceremonies are frowned upon
After the run and the "circle" we went and ate a bunch of food together at a local restaurant. This had all been pre-arranged so no one had to pay anything for it.
I suppose the point i am trying to make is that if you can find a Hash near where you are you should definitely try to join if you can. These Taiwan fellas simply turned up and were immediately welcomed in because the Hash House Harriers are an international group. It really is a lot of fun and I seriously look forward to Hashing with them in Taiwan some day in the future. They had stories of how they have Hashed all over the world and have always had great experiences.
Imagine that? You join a group of people and go run a bit, drink beer and make friends, and then you become automatically enrolled in an international group that is obligated to accept you in and make you feel welcome / help you while you are visiting. That is just an amazing perk.
Sounds really good and something that would help you with your travels. Is this the first city that you joined the Hash House Harriers as I am sure you never wrote about them before arriving in Chiang Mai.
Yes. I had heard of the group in the past but up until now I haven't lived in a city that had an active chapter
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Man this sounds awesome. I love the fact of how welcoming this sounds, and how you describe it. It can be daunting to join a group, but when there is an obligation to accept you and make you feel welcome then that is amazing. I love that! Glad you had a great time again man and keep it up :)
yeah, honestly, it is one of the best things I have ever done for myself socially and also (even though i don't need it) it could be regarded as a professional networking tool also.
It must be an incredible experience !!! But is this trip only for men?
Mondays are just the fellas. Thursday and Saturday are for everyone. Every city makes their own schedule though and most chapters aren't as active as this one. Our group is normally much bigger but the seasonal pollution problem in Chiang Mai has chased many members away
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I find it a very fun activity, it hurts that the pollution is driving away the members. Here in Venezuela we could not do an activity like that because there is a lot of insecurity, and it is unfortunate, because it would be very fun.
That is pretty awesome that you had those visitors. It looks like you all had a great time. Hopefully your new leader isn't someone truly sadistic that is going to have you running into all kind of crazy situations!