Hashing in Phnom Penh
Rob has been talking about the Himalayan Hash House Harriers since the day I met him.
Hash House Harriers is an international group of non-competitive social running clubs. Hashing involves following a path laid out by a Hare through all sorts of
obstacles. Traditionally it is paired with the drinking of beer, which I less
eagerly anticipated!
During Rob’s year in Nepal he was a regular Hasher. We had
hoped to do a hash in Kathmandu whilst we were there but the stars did not
align and we were not there on a Sunday (hash day). We vowed to look out for future
opportunities and Phnom Penh turned out to be the city to host us!
We invited Tim (who we had been staying with in Ho Chi Minh and whose travel dates coincided with our stay in Phnom Penh) to join us. It was his first Hash too which meant we initially followed-the-leader rather than the white spray-paint that indicated the path. It also meant we were required to stand in the middle of the circle during the drinking songs and the end of the hash.
We invited Tim (who we had been staying with in Ho Chi Minh and whose travel dates coincided with our stay in Phnom Penh) to join us. It was his first Hash too which meant we initially followed-the-leader rather than the white spray-paint that indicated the path. It also meant we were required to stand in the middle of the circle during the drinking songs and the end of the hash.
The hash got off to a very slow start. Meeting at the
deserted train-station of Phnom Penh we were to wait a good hour before hopping
on a cattle truck that took us to the ferry. Our hash was to be out in the
country-side and after reboarding the cattle truck on the other side of the
river, a few wrong turns, several tree branches in people’s faces, numerous
bumps in the road and many looks of disbelief from locals, we arrived at our
starting point: a primary school.
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| Tim and I on the way to our first hash |
Sue sdei!
Hello!
Where do you go?
I don’t know!
It must be very odd to find foreigners running in your
fields looking like they are on a mission but realising they actually do not
have the faintest idea where they are headed!
We passed through villages with many friendly waves and
giggles from children. Towards the end it felt like we were finishing a
marathon with the reception we got. Children waved tree branches and cheered
and I felt like I should be more exhausted than I was! Don’t get me wrong,
though it wasn’t a marathon; it was certainly a challenge. It was a very hot
day and it has been awhile since I ran at all, let alone on uneven trails in
scorching sun!
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| Marathon crowd :P |
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| Smiley kids |
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| Take my photo! |
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| Taking a look at the previous photo |
Once we reached our final destination the drinks were handed
around and we formed a ceremonious circle. I opted for an electrolyte drink,
until I was pulled in the circle and given a cup of beer. It felt rude not to
take part. If someone from around the circle sat down on the ground they would
be forced to sit on a huge ice cube in the centre. Rob had mouthed off early so
also found himself in the middle of the circle with a pipe around his arm. His
drink was a bit harder to swallow.
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| Rob's challenge, Tim and my beer that tasted like...beer |
Circle time went on a bit too long for me with far more
drinking songs than you can poke a stick at. We had told poor Steph (Tim’s
wife) that we would be back before dinner but it was going to be much later by
the time we took the journey back to Phnom Penh. Nevertheless, I enjoyed being surround by the local kids playing
as the sun went down.
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| Kids, probably wondering what one earth we were doing |
We hope to do more hashing in other places this year and
would recommend it to other travellers. It is a great experience, incorporates some exercise and the costs are minimal (US$5 in Phnom Penh). Visit the PP site here!
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| Ready to hash another day! |
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