Local Interest
Time to relax and enjoy the view
Like most of the other 2000 + Hash kennels around the world, VTH3 is not for profit and managed by volunteers: no-one gets paid, and anything left over at the end of the year is donated to charity and / or used for necessary capital expenditure.“ Red dress” charity runs are made several times a year – but that’ s another story for another day! Whoever laid this week’ s trail is known as the Hare( or Hares). Everyone else is“ the pack” – a reference to the origins of Hashing from the old game amongst British colonialists:“ Hare and hounds” or“ Paper chase”.( The“ Hash House” was the name given to a meeting place with very bland food!) The Hares brief everyone with a“ chalk talk”, including anything that requires particular attention such as rickety bridges, local houses and / or gardens or vegetable patches to avoid, barking dogs, etc – then off we go, accompanied by enthusiastic shouts of“ On On!”, which is hopefully self-explanatory. All Hashes have their own way of marking trails – mostly determined by the local terrain. VTH3 trails are usually marked with red eco-twine to stand out from the green bushes and trees on the mountains, and Hashers follow these markers at all times, shouting“ On On” whenever they see a new marker( or at least when the trail changes direction), so those behind will know they’ re on the right track, and also so those in front will know the pack is following. If someone goes the wrong way, either they( when they realise it) or those behind will shout,“ On back”. All trails offer something different. VTH3 Hashers pride themselves on a familiarity with Vung Tau’ s appropriately named Big and Small Mountains, as well as others in a‘ catchment area’ bounded by Long Son Island, Ba Ria and the Long Hai mountains. But some trails are much flatter, especially those on or near the beach where the inhabitants of fishing villages present a different version of“ local colour” to the mountain folk, although equally friendly. One
30 The MAG Vung Tau