Hangzhou Hash House Harriers

Hangzhou Hash recovery run for the day after the Hangzhou Midnight 10k and after-party. The hare promises a not too challenging and rather scenic run to help the recovering.Sunday 17th of August @ 17:00

Hangzhou Flower Nursery | 杭州花圃 | Hángzhōu Huāpǔ (杨公堤 Yánggōng Dī)

Hangzhou flower nursery is quite near the Beishan Lu end of Yanggong Di. The nearest bus stop is called Hangzhou Huapu (杭州花圃, buses Y1, Y4, K194 & K527). The meet up point will actually be in the car park which is about 100 metres south on Yanggong Di. Route from bus stop to the car park will be marked for the spatially challenged.  Any problems call DoggieStyle.

Hare: Sloephuk, Flour carrier: DoggieStyle.

No-shows citing MANB as the reason should expect down-downs (plural).

The usual difficulty in following direction to run starts was compounded this week by the co-incidence of the hare and the newsletter editor being one and the same. As a result one was forced to catch a bus with no clear idea where to get off except for some Chinese script purporting to be the name of a bus stop.

Some later told me that they had carefully copied down the Chinese characters and tried to match them against bus information in order to identify the correct location, but to no avail. Later it appeared that the characters in question stood for “take care of your belongings”, well done Pushupbra. Anyway, it wasn’t so bad because I noted a couple of lost individuals hanging around a busy intersection and it turned out to be the hash.

Great spot for the start of a run, but at least 7up was there to assure us that all was well and her joint hare was out putting some finishing touches to what she described as the run of the year. That’s always something of a concern when one hare fails to make it back.

Anyway the pack of Bestiality, who said that he’s seen the other hare only just heading out, and Phone Box, who also reported seeing the hare just starting the run, Hentai, Cunning Linguist, Torvill and Dean, Oscar, Doggie Style and .
The appointed time came and went as usual, how about some on-time starts before it gets too dark, and soon the pack found itself on trail through a resort  and then along a lakeside path and the longest stepping stone crossing so far on a run. Shortly the trail went around some houses with more than the usual quota of dogs, and a well situated circle check which didn’t fool too many.

The next section involved making a path through the virgin bush, and Doggie definitely took a back position at this point, hoping that any boar traps would be sprung by the leader Hentai. This absent path soon turned into a proper path, which then became some kind of competition venue with Decathlon tape marking the turns. Hentai was suckered into a CB or FT shortly after, and the real trail was found to start to climb. And climb it did, soon reaching a stone path and then along and up, then down a bit then up, then along a bit then up, then up, then up, then up until Cunning Linguist was incapable of any word not starting with f. Along the way the pack re-gathered to check out some perfect views, problem was where the hell were we? Doggie had some ideas, Phone Box was perplexed and Torvill had absolutely no idea.

Finally the path halted at a spectacular cliff top view point which enabled Doggie to be absolutely sure that we were not on Southern Peak, because it was in front of us. The trail down was uneventful, and the pack started to break up, the few FTs and CBs not being that effective. We descended through the bush on a rough track from which we broke free into a tea village for a bit, then tea fields, then another village where we came out unexpectedly at the 50th Run restaurant, closed for repairs ever since, and so to the start, but not actually the start because the hares had transferred the packs possessions to a lakeside park.

This scenic spot was perfect for the cold Cheerday on offer, and it was drunk so fast there was none left for down downs. Then it was quickly into the restaurant next door where the pack was joined by Skidmarks, cleverly avoiding this little mountain climb on a 37 degree day.  Phonebox’s ordering again hit the spot and it was a tired but relaxed crew who finally made it to Maya for a couple of re-hydrators.

Sunday 10th of August, 2008 @ 17:00

Meet at: Corner Yanggong Di and Longjing Rd - Take buses Y1, Y5, Y9 J1, Y5, K194 and 527 and get off at 公交丁家山景区站

Turnout – Hentai, Ménage à trios, Sheep Shagger, Torvill & Tean and Pushup

Doggie last set a run here in October 2007 when he came to a grinding halt with foot in boar trap, which incidentally was also Hentai’s first run, giving him an unusual perspective on the pleasures of hashing. You may study the boar trap in the Maya, so scribe was hoping for a repeat episode so that a second trap might join the collection. The afternoon storms left the roads less than perfect for chalk but the pack found the flour on the roads very easily so Doggie’s concerns of the pack becoming lost in the Lingyin backstreets was unfounded. Last time Doggie found a great gully up a creek bed and then switched to a game trail where the fondly remembered event occurred. His hesitation in repeating this trail was evident as the trail went back to Linyin Rd before ripping off into some minor back lanes at the back of the botanical gardens.

The pack survived any number of CBs and FTs all of which caught the pack. They were of a good length. Future hares, keep the CBs and FTs longer, and consistently longer to make the front runners search further and longer to allow the back markers to catch up.  MAT was saved from rabid dogs on a number of occasions as the trail finally found its way to the trail up to the saddle south of Linfeng Hill, where the pack was completely confounded, joining the “we’re the fakawe tribe”. Strange how you can be so completely disoriented in down town HZ, but the pack finally worked it out and pushed on up and up to the ridge that runs to North Peak. Visibility was not so good, but the post storm atmosphere left the city looking fantastic from every lookout. Quote Hentai “I’ve been in HZ for 10 years and I’ve never been here”, and that is really something from the map maker.

A brief stop at Northern Peak brought some technical info from Shagger about the imminent removal of the TV aerial which so perfectly frames the XYZ dynasty temple on the peak. What fool put it there anyway? From the top it was possible to see Doggie sitting under the arch patiently waiting for the return of the pack, so how Torvill, Shagger and MAT got lost on the way back was unfathomable, it is hoped that their unscheduled tour of the newly ancient Lingyin area was enjoyable. So the pack was out for 90 minutes, and enjoyed every bit of it. After the normal small circle with more social chat than down downs, the cyclists MAT and Torvill headed off while the balance grabbed a cab to the outdoor restaurant near the Maya. Love these summer nights. Good run from Doggie.

In something of a reprisal of #21 - The Coming of Age Run, run #60 will start from the fated arch at Lingyin Temple.

Sunday 3rd of July @ 17:00

Lingyin Temple / 灵隐寺 / Língyǐn Sì

Same meeting place as on previous runs: go to the end of Lingyin Road, past the taxi rank and the tourist shops. There is a footpath at the T intersection - the run will start near the archway just to the left.

Buses (probably) 7, 807, Y1, Y2, Y4

Hare: DoggieStyle

Be there or be a couch potato!

Sunday 27th July - 17:00

Hares: Hentai and S & M (we’ve invented our own genre)

All hashers need to arive at the south gate of Hua Gang Guan Yu Park (花港观鱼) which is in Nanshan Road, to the west of the junction of Su causeway and Nanshan road. Bus K4, K505, K808, 822, Y2, Y3, Y6, Y7, Y9, J5,J 9 can reach there, the closest bus stop is Sudi(Su causeway. Call Hentai if stuck.

There is a bit of a bash on Saturday night, if you’ve not got the details yet give me a shout.

ON ON

DS,

Hares Skidmarks and Bestiality

Hasher Turnout : Acro, Doggie, S&M, Henta, Bear, Einstein, Mudlark, Pawnstar, Sevenup, Cunning Linguist, Phonebox, Deep Throat.

Two minutes after the run started, we all found Doggie missing, and before we started to worry about the GM, he reappeared again in front of most us – the secret was revealed later in the circle: he saw the trail back to Shu guang road already, instead of informing us, he just waited there by himself (enjoy cigarettes?). We then went on to Bai sha quan road, and stop at one intersection with ” ICECREAM ” mark on the ground. I didn’t know who has counted the number before running started, anyway, we found one hasher missing .Who? Doggie, Cartoon Porn, Acro…really hard to figure out who was the missing hasher, So, on on. The trail led us up to the Bao Chu shan a bit, then went back down to the hill foot through a mosquito paradise path shortly, not surprisingly, from another entrance, the trail went up again, which was very obviously the two hares copied Phonebox and Sevenup’s 50th return hash run trail. And also Hares had attempted various routes to reach the summit, but failed to climax, after passing a little shrine, they had to choose to go downhill. Then no more to tell, that’s the endpoint, cost just 36 minutes, which took two hares two hours to set it, including knee trembler, thus they were duly awarded some down downs for their disappointing performance later. Not enough hash offences happened in a short run, except bestiality always called hashers their real name, and with the new rule “one hare drinks, two hare’s drink”, Skidmarks nearly became sleeping beauty again, Bear and Cunning Lingust were accused of being quite quiet, Mudlark’s golden shoes can never be hash offence and the GM was always smoking. Then that’s all, short run just deserves short hash trash. On on - Sevenup

Sunday 20th July - 17:00pm, hares: Skidmarks and Bestiality @ The Strait Coffee House - Shuguang Rd - Opposite the World Trade Centre, halfway between 7Club and Maya Bar. Call Skidmarks if stuck. Address for the world trade centre is: 曙光路122号世贸中心.

Other things going on in ‘zhou in the next few days…

• Friday 18th July - A default Friday Night 7@7 - 7pm at Seven Club Shuguang Rd for post work pre-dinner drinks.
• Saturday 19th July - 6.05pm Springboks vs the Wallabies - House of Pain otherwise known as the Shamrock (if of course the TV works, or the A/C is turned on, or indeed they are open)
• Tuesday 15th July - 7.30pm - The Even If It Rains Running group sets off from Maya Bar at 7.30pm every Tuesday night for lakeside training runs of from 5 to 14km.

A pair of virgin hares is always something to fear, especially when one of them is also a virgin hasher. As previously reported Titman was laid low with another foot injury, a re-occurrence of foot-in-mouth disease reported by someone in the know, so Aruna was pressed into the role of carrying the flour. The venue and surrounds has been given a thrashing over the last year, usually from other nearby starts but all passing this well known statue of Mao.

The turnout was excellent though despite the hot afternoon and the pack finally got away to a late start courtesy of 7Ups fruit responsibilities. The trail went south and exited the campus though the adjoining village, turned right up Yugu Lu and entered the Bamboo Forest, amazingly enough, virgin territory. Kama Sutras arrows were things of art, huge, directionally sound and placed in a non-erratic manner. The pack was spread out a bit here, but a RG was found at the little fitness area on the top of the hill and waited until Skidmarks arrived, before immediately heading off leaving the unfortunate Debbie in the loo with Cartoon Porn swiftly volunteering to rescue her.

So it was to Yugo Lu and up to the entrance to the gardens which we all now know to be open without charge after 4.30, thanks Kama Sutra. Ah, but soon the trail disappeared behind a locked door surrounded by hasher unfriendly walls. Cartoon Porn back to the fore, as he led the pack around to a side door which led through the ornamental ponds and back into the bush on stone paths. Every visit to the area unearths some new thing, and for scribe it was the mini chalets in the forest holiday camp with the adjoining photo-ops for newly weds, not normally the lesbian pairings provided by the hash on this day. So it was on on to a road that led toward the mountains, but turned away at the last moment back into the gardens, much to relief of back markers Skidmarks, Cunning Linguist Debbie and Sandra. Just before the trail hit Yugu Lu again, the pack found the instruction, On Home, or words to that effect. First home were Sheepshagger and Cartoon Porn, both suspected of SCBing the last bit.

Doggie Style was back to his old self as GM of the circle, and the accusations flew thick and fast. Sandra gave the circle a deep and meaningful song about her wish to be christened before she headed off to Beijing as a volunteer, and so with the naming committee’s creative juices at a low ebb, Sandra was named Mudlark, mostly because of those purple and gold shoes in the mud; who could forget them? Debbie was named Pawn Star because of the conjunction of the old classic film Debbie Does Dallas and a chess playing assumption. 7Up was absolutely sure that her new shoes would go unnoticed, but didn’t count on the eagle eye of Phone Box. Aruna learned the rule “one hare drinks, both hares drink” as a double virgin, but can also be happy with universal agreement that the run was interesting, findable and the right length. The pack sauntered off down to a youth hostel restaurant in the village for an excellent 20 kuai meal; have to go back there, and some then headed off to Maya.

Now who was the hasher who was deputed to write this week’s report?