Mekong IndoChina Hash

Based on the theory that you can never have too much of a good thing, the 1999 joint hosts, Vientiane H3 and Vientiane Bush H3, decided to open up the franchise to include the greater Mekong area. The 1st Mekong/2nd Indochina Hash (henceforth abbreviated to Mekong Indochina Hash II or MIH II) was held from 1st to 3rd October and the event was timed to coincide with the VH3 1000th Run.

After the passage of many years, memories of this event are now a little hazy, partly as a result of being introduced to Beer Lao for the first time. The runs were held out in the countryside and the main event ended at a lake after an A to B run in the middle of nowhere. Reaching the Circle site necessitated crossing a narrow section of the lake via a causeway that ran alongside a weir, which offered ample opportunity for the assembled Hashers to enjoy a “shower” and enjoy a shoulder rub under its tumbling waters. The Circle was a lively affair and didn’t end until well after darkness had fallen. However the most notable part of this event occurred just as the busses were pulling out; a lone Hasher, who had got lost on trail, staggered out of the woods just in time to see the first Hashers beginning to board the busses. The only trouble was that he was on the opposite side of the lake from the busses and, in the darkness, had no idea which way to turn and had no way to judge how far he might need to run around the lakeshore. So he did what any sensible Hasher would do and removed his shoes and clothes and swam across the lake, arriving just before the last bus pulled out. Apart from one of the busses needing a push from a few dozen drunken Hashers after getting bogged down as they entered the location chosen for the On OnOn later that night, the rest of the event went off without incident.