Mekong IndoChina Hash

The following year saw the event return to Cambodia. Phnom Penh H3 hosted the seventh Mekong Indochina Hash from 29th to 31st October but they elected to have an “outstation Hash” at the fabled Angkor Wat temple complex. What can one say about the experience of running through the enchanted ruins? The words awesome are, for once, appropriate.

Flip Flop had a second attempt at mismanaging a Mekong IndoChina Hash, although whether he had learned much from his earlier experience was debatable. As always in this region, local infrastructure was not quite up to first world standards, and there were unique challenges facing anyone trying to organize an event involving several hundred people. The seemingly simple requirement of providing bus transport, for instance, proved to be a major SNAFU when the busses got themselves bogged down in the soft earth at the Circle site and the more that they revved their engines, the more they got bogged down. Getting four busses stuck (one twice) required a spectacular effort even for the Hash! In the end an impromptu additional Full Moon Hash was held so that the stranded Hashers could get to the nearest road where various means of local transportation, including local busses, taxis, motorbike rear seats, donkey and buffalo carts were shanghaied to get them back to Siem Reap.

Needless to say the bars up and down Bar Street in Siem Reap did a roaring trade that night. Flip Flop took a collection so that he could print a special T-shirt to commemorate what was decided should be called the inaugural Mekong Indochina Full Moon Run but, in true Hash fashion, nobody has ever seen the T-shirt and occasional reminders elicit the stock response. “Oh Shit, I forgot all about that – I’ll get onto it right away!”

The Sunday run was laid (as was Saturday’s) by Phlegm. The object was supposed to be light run around the streets of Siem Reap in the morning and then back to the beer truck as soon as possible followed by a relaxing lunch in a local restaurant. The objective was achieved but a Circle magically formed as the Hashers got stuck into the beer. A totally inappropriate call was heard from Flip Flop about leaving the Circle to go to a nice quiet place elsewhere to implement his plan of some early relaxation at the end of the weekend, which would involve eating and social drinking of the remaining beers from the beer truck! This was something for which the Circle would not stand, since the ice wasn’t melted and bums were in need of chilling. Songs were sung, dances were danced and sins were Down Downed. Appropriately after a Harriette was iced, the ice was returned to pristine condition by the ‘Hash Tongue’ cleaning process (Hash patent pending . . .), An Ice Bitch was named - although she prefers A NIce Bitch and the serious partying side of the Hash came out as the impromptu entertainment continued for around two hours before we retired to the chosen restaurant and continued on with the festivities until the beer ran out at 5 PM.