Last change 2017.08.06 19:53:50 / Time 2024.05.03 13:16:25
InterHash Goa 2002 rehash
Being a member of Copenhagen Hash House Harriers since October
2000, only 2 years now, this was my first InterHash, but not my first
out-in-the-world-hashing. This year I have been very active, InterHash
was my tour number 7 this year.
And what a great event, I met a lot of old friends out there.
I'm sure I have to visit Cardiff in 2004.
I was very late for registration as it was first in start of august
2002 I took over a registration for another hasher not being able to
travel to Goa, but at that point it was possible to buy registrations
for very low money.
As for the tour to Goa, I could not plan that in detail before the last
2 weeks before.Reason is that I work for an airline and had the
idea of travelling on special airline discount tickets, meaning you
only get on the flight if there is available seats. If you plan it
correctly it's possible to travel for very low money, but if anything
goes wrong you can sit out there in nowhere waiting for days in an
airport.
So me and another hasher from Copenhagen, Rambo Number Five, found
out that Thursday 19 September would be a good time to go.
As the day came we could see that plenty of seats were available on the
flight from Frankfurt to Bombay, very good news for us.
So the flight was Copenhagen-Frankfurt-Bombay-Goa.With start from
Copenhagen Thursday with a morning flight to Frankfurt at 07.00
hour, we arrived in Goa Friday morning 07.00 hour, and now it was time
to relax.
I had booked a hotel in north Goa for the first 4 nights, hotel Sonesta
Inn at Candolim Beach - Rambo would go to Panjim and stay with some
family.
The hotel was fine, I was the only guest the first night.
A big 2 rooms apartment with door directly to the pool to only 900 rs a
day.
Rambo said to me that the beaches would be filled up with people, but
these days I was the only one there for miles.
Both me and Rambo had mobile phones with us, so a lot of SMS's was
sent.
This way Rambo introduced me to the local busses so that I could visit
him in Panjim.
That was a 45 minutes tour by local bus from Candolim to Panjim at
the cost of only 5 rs - and I was the only non-Goan on the bus.
On Saturday me and Rambo visited the InterHash office in Panjim to
register for the pre lube Yellow Dress Run, the same day we found out
that a run would be set up in Cavelossim Sunday. Later we went out
eating in Panjim, and who comes in the door, TNT himself.
Sunday Run:
So Sunday I take the local bus to Panjim, meet Rambo and we find
our way to Cavelossim by local busses, we had to shift in Magao - it
all costs 5+15+7 rs, a taxi from Candolim to Cavelossim would cost 800
rs, this is local transport in India the cheap way :-)
In Cavelossim we try to find the starting point of the run, but nobody
knows anything, so we drop it and find our way to the beach.
Down at the beach Rambo go for a swim and an Indian guy try to sell me
some stuff, then suddenly we see some hashers running, eh, what's
happening.
It seam that a run is going on, so we pack our things and starts
running, and suddenly we are part of the first pre InterHash run.
Later on circle at one of the hotels followed by a swim in the pool,
and then off to the first party at Mike's Place.
Now we hoped to get the local bus back to Panjim and Candolim, but
well, we are being told that the bus stops at 19.00 hour, a taxi
will cost us 800 rs, a room will cost us 400 rs, so what to do. Some
Committee members are then very friendly and let of borrow a room
for one night only, so Monday morning me and Rambo can take the local
bus back to north Goa, after checking the walking distance to our hotel
for the InterHash.
Moving South:
Tuesday we find it's time to move permanently south to Cavelossim.
I pack all my things and take the local bus with all my luggage to
Panjim, meet Rambo, and we now take the same tour as Sunday, except now
we have all our luggage with us in the local bus. In one of the busses
it's not possible for people to get in and out because our luggage's
fill up the middle-section between the seats of the bus, but all locals
take this with a smile and look with strange eyes at us, long time
since then have seen people like us in the bus.
In Cavelossim we find our hotel, Dona Sa Maria.
After a short swim we walk into the venue area, taking us an hour walk,
half way without any other light than what we bring ourselves.
We now realize that the hotel is to far away from the venue,
so after some food, we walk around trying to find a better place
near the venue.
We are lucky, Cardiff have 2 empty room near Mike's Place we can take
over, so next morning we do very early checkout at Dona Sa Maria
and move.
This morning we are going the Hare Meeting a 08.00 hour, Rambo have
been promised to be co-hare on a run.
Rambo get his run, the longest hardest run, 15km long, so the next 2
days Rambo must be up 07.00 because he needs to go and checkout the run
- seams it was a good idea we found rooms near the venue.
Registration and meeting new friends:
Registration and bazaar opens up Wednesday morning.
Rambo it out checking out his run.
So I walk around meeting old and new friends.
Meeting Der Tulip Eater and together with him dropping in at the
Old Anchor for some beers - about 5-6 650ml King Fisher beers in 3-4
hours - hmm...afterwards time to relax a little in my room :-)
It was also at this time in the Old Anchor that Bare Ass painted toe
nails on all the men's.
In the evening out eating with Rambo and having some beers afterwards.
Yellow Dress Run:
Thursday is the day of Yellow Dress Run.
I'm sleeping a little late and drop down to Hash Bazaar to make a
little shopping.
Near the registration area at Louisa by the Sea I find the place to
register to post lube Bahrain Run on Monday.
In the afternoon at 15.00 hour it's time for the run, me and Rambo
changes to our new yellow dresses, bought Saturday in Panjim
market for only 125 rs each.
16.00 a lot of busses drives 650 people to Panjim, the location of the
run, Panjim is the main city of Goa.
In Panjim a lot of yellow dressed hashers run through the main city
area, in the main area all traffic stops and only a short way is
open for the hashers to come through.
All people look and thinks - who are these strange people and what are
they doing here.
The run ends up by some boats, taking us on a boat cruise with food,
music and beers on board - it's party time.
Near the end of our boat cruise our boat is out of beer, so we need to
go in talking more beers onboard - some cold some warm.
Back home in Cavelossim down to the Mike's Place area, dancing and
drinking late, still in Yellow Dress.
Venue opening:
Friday is the first day of InterHash, the venue will open 18.00 hour.
About 14.00 hour I can hear from my room that something is going on at
the Cardiff restaurant - Cardiff, Perth and Wellington have split all
the restaurants between them. So I drop down to the Cardiff place, open
with free beer, food, live music and local dancers - meeting new
friends.
About 16.00 hour some Goan Street Parade musicians turn up outside
the Cardiff place, playing music, making a lot of people dropping
out on the street dancing.
Later on this Parade with people moves a little up and down the road,
just outside the Wellington and Perth places - nobody is inside, all
people seams to have joined the Cardiff party.
Around 18.00 hour the Parade empty the Cardiff place and begins to move
down the road to the venue outside Old Anchor, first dropping in and
say hello to the big hotels on the road - and then the venue is open...
Opening speak about 19.00 and later at the venue 3500 people
gets something to eat, a lot of beers, and live party music until 02.00
hours, closing time.
Me and some other hashers close the venue by taking a nude swim on
the nearby beach.
350.000 beer cans have been sponsored by King Fisher, all specially
made with the Goa InterHash logo on the can, meaning 100 beers a
hasher.
Later on Moe tells me that all the cans we do not drink have to be
returned and destroyed.
First day of running:
Ok, Saturday, now it's serious, we are going to run.
I have selected run 19 "The 3 Stooges" going to San Jacinto Island,
Higgins is the primary hare of this run.
A lot of busses will be parked in a sports field nearby, and open for
entrance at 11.00 hour, departure time 12.00 hour.
I drop by 5 minutes before 11.00 to be in good time, finding a seat in
one of the busses.
Nothing about registering for a run, just find a seat in a bus of
your choice.
We now have to sit and wait in the bus for almost 2 hours as
all bus 19 (3 or 4 pieces) are the last ones to go...and it's
near 40 degrees outside and inside.
After about 40 minutes bus ride we come to the Island, the run is
short, a walk in 1/2 hour, but it's hot.
After a few beers the bus drives all people to the beach where we all
can swim before the circle will start-up, still plenty of ice cold
beers.
Then time for the circle, a standard circle after traditions of
Brussels and Amsterdam, but here also with ice to sit on.
Before the sun go down in the bus and back to the venue for same as
Friday...drinking...eating...dancing...fucking...talking...
Second day of running:
Sunday is made up the same way as Saturday, select a run of your own
choice.
Rambo say to me that run 10 is a good one, he knows, he's been visiting
Goa every year the last 31 years, has family here.
Run 10 goes to Fort Eustus, and old Portuguese fort.Again about 40
minutes bus ride.
Now this run is more hard, we run outside the walls high above the sea
level, making up a nice place for photos.
Also meaning that if you step wrong on the trail, you drop long way
down the hill, a little dangerous, but a beautiful place.
Again a circle and bus ride back to venue for same acting as Friday and
Saturday.
This evening is also time for the nude run, but only a few go for that,
and only inside the area of venue.
At venue closing time people collect full beer cans in bags, all
they can carry.
I take all I can carry, and before I go home, I drop by at hotel Old
Anchor to see if anyone is there.Here a big nude pool party is going on
with beer cans all over.
I drop my clothes and jump in, Codpiece and Rambo is also here, me and
Rambo stay here until 6.30 in the morning...then there is no more girls
left in the pool :-)
Bahrain Run:
Monday, day of a post lube run, by Bahrain Hash House Harriers.
Busses go from Old Anchor at 14.00 hour for Dona Paula near Panjim.
After some running we drop in to a restaurant named Big Foot.
Before the circle we can go and see a sort of museum nearby where
guides tell us about living in the old Goa, f.ex. how they make Cashew
Fenny the local drink.
Then time for the circle, here I get my best down down of the week,
sitting on ice with a nice lovely black girl on top :-)
After the circle we get some food, and short time after it begins
raining cats and dogs.
Me and Rambo is sitting under cover drinking beers and wine with some
other guys, listening and telling hash jokes, until about 22.00 hour
where we go with the last bus back to Old Anchor.
Here we help unloading beers and garbage, and then Moe and a couple of
other guys invite us in for a nightcap, some whisky bottles to empty.
At some point the manager of Old Anchor comes in, we give him a drink,
and make a little circle for him, thanking him for a good arranged
InterHash venue area.
Thinking back to these hours with whisky I find it amazing that I
didn't have any banging in my head the following morning.
Moving North:
The day after me, Rambo and Codpiece move all things north to Panjim
Tuesday, checking in at Panjim Inn.
We bring not less than 120 beer cans with us.
Here we meet other hashers living at the same hotel.
We go eat in a little restaurant named Horse Shoe, owned by a local Goa
hasher.
Very good food, afterwards we have to write in his special
hash-visitor-book.
Wednesday Run:
Monday afternoon at Big Foot a new run was announced Wednesday,
departure from Old Anchor again.
No cost, still plenty of beers left.
So now we are 3 hashers taking local busses from Panjim down to
Cavelossim again.
We go for the run, this time with some boat sailing included.
After the run we find a place to eat, and then it's time to move back
to Panjim, but what, no taxis...
We see busses coming, time is about 22.00, is that local busses.
We try to stop one, not a local bus, this is a tourist bus going
empty back home, except for the 3 local people driving the bus.
They say they go to Magao and can take us there for 300 rs.
We say no because we need to go to Panjim and it will cost us much
more if we are going to find a taxi in Magao for Panjim.
So we walk away, and the bus driver stops us, now they can take us all
3 to Panjim for only 500 rs, we accept.
So we come in and sit 3 guys alone with 3 drivers in a very big
tourist bus.
On the road Codpiece is seriously thinking every time the bus stops a
little, that now the drivers will drop us and steal our money.
In Magao the bus stops at a gasoline station, they want money for
gasoline, but Rambo say "no money before Panjim", and it seams suddenly
there is plenty of gasoline on the bus.
About 50km south of Panjim there is a bridge, it's closed for large
traffic by the police, so now the bus stops and what now.
We go out and discuss it with the drivers and a police man or guard at
the bridge.
After some discussion we accept to pay 300 rs to the bus drivers, and
stops a private car that accept to drive us rest of the way to Panjim
for 200 rs.
If we took a taxi from hotel Old Anchor this tour would cost us 1000
rs, now we did the same late in evening for only 500 rs,
but I'm not sure any of us would do it again.
Moving out of Goa
The next couple of day I relax in Panjim, me and Rambo go and visit
some markets.
Sunday 6 October I find I have seen enough of Goa, so I pack my things
and fly to Bombay, here I take Cathay Pacific at 04.45 hour to
Bangkok, and later a flight to Phuket. I have to sit and wait in Bombay
airport for 11 hours, long time, but other hashers are there helping me
to use the time talking/drinking.
The next 6 days in Phuket are used relaxing and getting some good body
massage...damn good...but that's another story :-)
Running one time with Phuket Hash House Harriers 12 October and then
it's time to go back to Denmark.
One main luggage of 23kg and a hand luggage of more than 10kg.
OnOn
Swamp Thing
Some dates to remember:
19sep Departure from Copenhagen, meeting Rambo in Frankfurt, CPH-FRA-BOM-GOI
20sep Arrival in Goa, checkin at hotel Sonesta Inn, Candolim Beach
22sep Local busses south to special Goa Hash run in Cavelossim
23sep Local busses back to Candolim Beach
24sep Moving all stuff south to Cavelossim using local busses
25sep Registration, beer drinking
26sep PreRun, Yellow Dress in Panjim
27sep Cardiff opening party and street parade to venue opening, late night sea swimming
28sep Run19, "The 3 Stooges" at San Jacinto Island
29sep Run10, "Cabo De Rama" at Fort Eustus, later Pool Party at Old Anchor
30sep PostRun, Bahrain in Dona Paula, later whisky drinking
01oct Moving all stuff north to Panjim, hotel Panjim Inn
02oct Extra run in Cavelossim, local bus down and private tour bus back to Panjim
06oct Moving to Phuket, GOI-BOM-BKK-HKT
07oct Arrival in Phuket after 25 hours
12oct Phuket Hash House Harriers # 863 "Vegetarian Run"
13oct Departure for Copenhagen, HKT-BKK-CPH