Our runs are becoming more "intimate", but still a lot of fun

I say that they are getting intimate not because we are breaking out the romance now that it is rainy season but because a vast majority of our members are stuck out of the country. Leaving Thailand is something that is very possible and many of our members have obligations in their home countries that once they go to tend to them, find that it is either too expensive, too difficult, or impossible to return.

So the way it seems now and perhaps into the foreseeable future, the people who leave are likely not going to return any time soon. A few of our members have managed to get back in but they are Elite Visa holders and since they paid so much money to be a member of this strange premium visa, they are entitled to benefits that the rest of us peons don't have access to. Therefore, our attendance is WAY down from 2019.

But that doesn't mean we cant have fun, does it?

We take a bus like the one pictured here to all of our events because many of our members do not have vehicles and drink driving aint cool anyway. Since we are "drinkers with a running problem" the fact that we are going to have a bunch of beers is all but guaranteed. The people who drive their own vehicles always have a designated driver and this is one of the few things that we enforce. If anyone were to cause some drunken havoc it would reflect very badly on our local group as well as the global organization as a whole. Therefore, it is one of the few things that we prohibit.

Despite the fact that there was plenty of extra space on the bus, the few of us that still remain here have been privy to some of the best conditions that I have ever seen on our Hash runs since it hasn't been raining even though it is technically rainy season.

Just look at that sky! It is truly amazing. The best part of all of this is the fact that during this time of year the temperature drops quite a lot and these runs are far more bearable because you have a much greater opportunity to not die from heat stroke - which is always a good thing to try to avoid.

Our path on Thursday took us the usual 6km or so and we had a nice mix of trail, off road, and even some nice road sections that were conveniently in the shade.

There of course was plenty of beer available and the fact that there are only between 12 and 15 people attending each of the events (in 2019 we had at least twice that many participants) we have the added benefit of their being way too much beer at the runs and this is always a good thing.

This area is called San Khampeng and it is one of our favorite locations to travel to have our runs at and if you look at the scenery it is easy to understand why we return here many times every year. The only downside is that it is becoming a bit more difficult for the Hares (the people who make the trail) to do something different because it seems as though every possible trail choice has already been done.

I once again want to encourage anyone in the Chiang Mai area to come and join us - I promise you will not regret it and you can find the full details on our official website HERE. For those of you not around here, do a search and see if your area has a Hash, since it is a global disorganization there is a good chance that there is one nearby! ON ON!