This past weekend, I attended my 3rd Guyana Hash House Harriers run, or just hash run for short. For those of you who haven't been obsessively keeping up with my blog and didn't read the 1st entry explaining what a hash is (shame on you) here's a brief explanation: Hash groups exist all over the world and are described as a drinking club with a running problem. Basically, groups of people get together 2 times a month and go on "extreme" runs, so not just a typical jog on a marked path or trail. The point is to have them in some kind of weird or unique or crazy environment, which here in Guyana can mean jungle. Two or three members of the group pick a place, mark out a trail (there are various rules to the club as well), and then everyone does the run, comes back, eats food, and drinks a lot of beer (it's important to carbo-load after a workout, right?).
This most recent run was set in Santa Mission, an Amerinidian community that is pretty isolated in the bush. We had to take an hour boat ride up a black water creek just to get to the village. Once we got there, the run was 6 miles total in almost complete bush, like climbing over trees and wading through creeks type of bush. It was more walking than running but in 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity, it was absolutely exhausting. But cool as hell, walking through the jungle, not being able to hear any other human being or car or any sign of civilization for miles, literally crawling through bush and balancing across fallen logs over creekbeds.
The run took just about 3 hours, since we walked most of the way through the thicker jungle areas ( and took a few wrong turns and almost ended up in Suriname, but that's not my fault, the freaking jungle all looks the same out there). After words we all ate delicious bbq chicken, cook up rice, dahl rice, and drank lots and lots of beer. One of the rules of a hash is that you can't leave any beer behind so you have to drink it all, no matter what. My group usually doesn't have a problem with that :) After the food, everyone forms a circle and the GM of the run (the guy in charge of that particular hash group) gets in the middle and starts calling up different people who, for various reasons, have to chug a beer. If you mapped out the course, you chug, if it's you're 1st run, you chug. If you were 1st back to base, or last, you chug. This time, we had so much extra beer that the GM was just making up rules for people to drink so we would finish all the beer. He made me chug because I was wearing a headband, this is not a typical hash rule :)
The hash runs are definitely a fun way to unwind, relax, and have a good time on the weekend and it's also a good way to meet new people. The Guyana hash group is a pretty even mix of locals and foreigners, mostly Peace Corps or various Embassy people. They love when new people join the group and whatever city or country you were in when you did your 1st hash is considered your "mother hash", no matter how many other hash groups you participate in. After 10 runs, they give you a hash nickname, which is almost always inappropriate and slightly offensive. I cant wait to get my hash name, only 7 more runs to go :) God knows what it will be lol.
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