A member of our Chiang Mai H3 recently had to return home for personal reasons that we actually know but I am not going to post in public. So we'll just say that he really missed Taco Bell - which isn't true but if you saw him you would believe it is the case.
We are locked down pretty hard right now in Chiang Mai so it was nice to hear that ever though he started his Hashing journey with us that he is returning to a state in USA that has almost not restrictions at all and the Hash kennels, of which there are many in Florida, are all up and running.
While I haven't personally ever attended an event with the Panama City Hash House Harriers, they look to be a group of about the same size as the Chiang Mai one but unlike us, a lot of them actually have jobs. Why they would decide to do that doesn't make a great deal of sense to those of us here in Chiang Mai but I'm gonna guess that it is because Florida in general is ever-so-slightly more expensive than Thailand in a general sense.
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From the few photos that I have seen that were sent to us from our member in Chiang Mai, it appears as though all of their members are in basically the same sort of physical fitness that we are, so now we don't feel so bad. They probably don't have to contend with 3 months of the year having the worst air pollution in the world and the rest of the year with temperatures around 100 degrees and 80% humidity. Those clowns don't know how good they have it!
They do something on the weekdays that i have never heard of before and while it is a new concept to me I like the sound of it.
They meet every Thursday in the evening not for a run because people have stupid jobs there, but for "drinking practice." Now here is an event that I think that almost every Hasher in the world can get behind. I know that I sometimes forget how to drink beer so it is a good idea to get everyone on their best possible game before Saturday arrives.
Now I personally know how difficult and time consuming it can be to set a trail so for all of these poor saps who have jobs to somehow find the time to set a trail and do a weekly run is pretty damn impressive in my mind. The 4 or 5 times that I have set trails have taken me multiple days and not just because I am terrible at it either.
I suppose they do have the added advantage of being able to explain themselves in their own language when they get caught trespassing and that is a pretty wonderful advantage indeed.
Panama City isn't a huge place, but it is the largest area between Pensacola and Tallahassee so if you are somewhere in that vicinity you need to know that they do have weekly runs and according to our Chiang Mai Hasher that is currently running with them, they are extremely open to new members. You can contact them on their official website and if they are anything like the guy who runs our website, there is a pretty fantastic chance they will never get back to you. It doesn't really matter though because they list their meetup points and times on this website and if you just turn up, they will be happy to let you take part and also introduce you to something that will likely change your life.
Hashing isn't just about running and drinking beer; it is about making life-long friends, networking, having a good time and ok I lied before it is also a lot about drinking beer.
I promise you will have a great time and unless you are missing legs, you probably are going to be somewhere near the front of the pack with these guys (and us, no offense to the PBH3 intended.)
If you DO NOT live near there, but are somewhere in the United States you should know that regulations have been eased basically coast to coast other than metropolitan areas where almost no one actually hosts their runs anyway, so there is a really good chance that there will be a Hash near you.
Until further notice, our events in Chiang Mai are suspended due to Covid... on on !