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The Mekong Indochina Hash, as its name might suggest, is a South
East Asian regional Hash that is held once a year over the course of
a weekend, usually around the end of October/early November when the
annual rains have abated and the weather is (relatively) cool.
The event is freely
rotated between the different countries in the region, which can be
loosely defined as comprising of any country through which the
Mekong River flows or for which the Mekong River forms part of its
border. Thus Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and
Vietnam form the core and (in theory) parts of
southern China could and have (once) qualified. In the great
tradition of the Hash there are no formal rules about membership of
this “club” or protocols about its misorganisation but the general
feeling is that nobody wants the format to change and certainly
nobody wants it to become another huge event such as Pan Asia and
the like. And so it tends to operate on the KISS principle – Keep It
Simple Stupid.
So what makes this Hash
any different from any other regional Hash, and what makes it one of
the most anticipated Hashes on the Hash calendar? Well, it can be
simply summed up by saying that this is one of the friendliest Hash
events to be found anywhere and it has consistently aimed to keep
the true spirit of Hashing alive and well. The emphasis is on
keeping things manageable. With attendances usually ranging between
200 and 400 Hashers, attendees are not just a number. Renewing old
friendships and starting new ones is the name of the game. It really
does feel like you are a member of a close-knit club – it’s just
that the club house moves every year! Add to this the opportunity to
visit parts of the Far East that you only ever get to read about in
travel magazines or in airport thrillers, a warm and tropical
climate, exotic and colourful local tribes, a sprinkling of World
Heritage sites and you have all the ingredients you could possibly
want. Indiana Jones would die to get to half the places where the
Mekong Indochina Hash has been hosted and there are more than a few
Hashers who make it a point to attend this event from wherever in
the world they happen to be at the time but, of course, it is the
Hashers from South East Asia who are at its heart.
Long may it continue!!
~ Bob 'BoBo' Thomas
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