Get your mind out of the gutter; I’m not talking about THAT! It was a busy and full Saturday at the Haggis Hash. There were two trail options for the morning hike–a short 3.5K trail or a long 9.5K version. I was hoping for something in between, but since I was unfamiliar with the area, shortcutting wasn’t a consideration. As we departed, I still hadn’t made up my mind about what I was going to do. And then when we reached the spot where the short trail diverged, I impulsively decided to go the distance and do the long trail. Shocking, I know. Swan came along with me, but I sensed she wasn’t happy about it initially. But she came around as we shared the adventure. It took us over two hours to finish the well-marked trail, but surprisingly, we finished ahead of four other Hashers. Here are some photos of our journey:
Gathering at the startOn-On!The middle of the packAnd the back of the pack, where I tend to hang outThe goats seemed surprised to see usThere go the short trail takersAnd that’s the way ahead for the long walkers. The majority of this group is already so far in front of us that they are out of sight. A couple of Hashers are still in view up ahead, but that didn’t last long. For most of the remainder of the hike, it was just the two of us. Thankfully, the Hare did a great job marking the trail, and Swan has sharp eyes and saw the marks I missed.The first kids we saw on the hike. And yes, we had goodies to share.Farm country is flat and that’s a feature I likeI thought this decrepit building was unoccupied until I saw the laundry hung out to dry.And we were surprised to see an old woman in a wheelchair inside. That’s Swan giving the granny some cookies.It was a hot day, and occasional spots with shade were refreshingMore kids receiving the cookie bountyThe Hare used strips of tissue paper for trail markings, which could be seen from a distance and helped to keep us on the right path. That’s better than the ribbons sometimes used at the Subic Hash because the paper is biodegradable and will disappear after some rain.A shady spot pauseAh, the proverbial rickety bridge crossing. This one doesn’t look very strong or sturdy,Swan is only half my sizeIt was dicey in places, but I made it acrossSwimming in the riverStill going strongWife says, “you can have a truck or a motorcycle, but not both!” Well, looky there, other Hashers! Turns out they had missed a turn and had to backtrack allowing us to get ahead of them.The first water crossing of the daySwan wasn’t happy about getting her shoes wetWe gave this cow plenty of room as we passedA brief walk in the woodsAnd then back out in the sunny fieldsThe Hare is fucking with us at about the halfway point in our journey. “Walang” means none.Not as impressive as the dams on Kevin’s walk, but this is the Philippines.More kids to pleaseWalking on the rocky riversideAnd then walking in the riverFlirting with my girlfriend?I’ll take that as a good signNow I’m motivated!I recognize that windmill! Our Haggis On-Home farm is in sight!I don’t recall any Hash trail I’ve done longer than this one. Glad it was flat!The way we walked.
The hiking was done, but the Haggis festivities were just beginning. It started with a hamburger lunch. I skipped the buns but had two patties and some potato salad. I drank tea with the meal, knowing that I had several hours to go and the beer could wait. When we moved outside for the games, I started on the beer but worked hard at slowing down my usual rate of consumption. I was also feeling tired, in part from the hike but also because it was the time of day I normally nap. I elected not to participate in the Haggis games, instead finding a shady spot to sit and sip my beer.
I occasionally got my lazy ass up to check how the games were going. This was the piggyback race.Swan and her partner in the sack race.Swan’s team finished secondI’d never seen an event quite like this one. The girls are blindfolded and pass buckets of water by pouring it into the bucket being held behind them. It was kind of fun to watch.Not surprisingly, most of them ended up wet.
So, the games went on for a couple of hours, and then it was finally time to begin the Hash Circle. They don’t do ice at the Haggis Hash, but they did employ a “bucket brigade” to toss water on Hashers when called upon to do so. I got my turn to be drenched before the circle ended.
My view at the Circle. There must have been more than a hundred Hashers in attendance.We were served “Scottish eggs” as a snack at the Circle.The bucket brigade in actionMe after my drenching
After a long-ass Circle finally ended, we moved back inside for the dinner.
The bagpipe manThe bagpiper led the procession to kick off the dinner. A short speech was made in a thick Scottish brogue that I didn’t understand a word of.Everyone was provided this small serving of haggis with some sweet potato. There was also a full-fledged dinner buffet, so no one went home hungry.
I arrived at the farm around 9 a.m. We started the trail at 10 and finished around 12:30. I had my first beer a little after 1:00. The games finished after four o’clock, and the circle went on until 6:30. Dinner was served at 7 p.m. We left the Hash sometime after 8:00 but didn’t return directly to the hotel. Instead, we stopped in town at a beer garden. I don’t recall whose idea that was.
The Subic contingent and buckets of beer. And we were serenaded at our table by this duo.
That’s all I remember. I woke up in my hotel bed at 6:30 this morning, which is sleeping in for me. Swan gave me a Coke Zero to drink, and I asked her where it came from. She said we stopped at the 7-Eleven on the way to the room. How did we get back? She said we took a trike. It’s all a blank page; the last thing I remember is being at the beer garden. Apparently, we didn’t leave the beer garden until around ten p.m., an hour past my bedtime.
A long day with too much of a good thing and higher-potency beer didn’t help matters. I’m glad I didn’t do anything stupid, and December 7 will not be my personal day of infamy.
I only remember twelve beers. Who knows what happened after that?
Five years ago, I was attending my first-ever Haggis Hash, this one in La Union:
The haggis before it was cooked. I eat it and try not to think about where it comes from. Tastes alright, but I’ll never crave it. Maybe I’m not of Scottish heritage after all.
In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea takes the 4B movement to task. Funny to see a Filipina point out the ignorance of women who think they are better than her.
And some humor:
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!I’d tell her no, but I can do you doggy-styleIt’s all in the stars
Back home again and embarking on the Sunday routines, starting with the Hideaway feeding. Then, I’ll be treating Swan to Sunday dinner at John’s Place. Then we shall see. No beer tonight; that’s a promise!
8 thoughts on “A long hard one”
Sounds like a fun time. I’m glad you had the chance to have at least a little haggis.
So Swan, like me, doesn’t like getting her feet wet, eh?
Sounds like a pretty good hash overall. Does the guy who hosted actually farm? Anything around there, or is it pretty rural? Where did the other hash groups come from?
Re: Scottish brogue. Worked with a guy from Scotland who was ironically named Ozzie Scotland. Hell of a time understanding him, and his wife was even worse. I worked with him overseas, so the locals would look to me to translate and I would just shrug. LOL
Re: No beers – but what about G&T’s? 😛
FYI, it’s scotch eggs.
Daeguowl, thanks for the clarification. Scotch eggs are pretty tasty!
Brain, Yes, our host, Honeydew, owns a large functioning farm. We walked through a large grove of mango trees, but I’m unsure what else is produced there. As you can see from the Hash Run photos, it’s a pretty rural area. Even so, our hotel was only ten minutes away in the town of Pozorubbio.
Those Scottish accents can be tough to decipher. I had a Scottish friend in Korea who was an English teacher there. I could only understand him about half the time. I also laughed about someday meeting a Korean kid with a Scottish accent and knowing who his teacher was.
Well, yes, now that you mention it, I did have six gin and tonics last night. And today, I’ll have Zero beers at the Hash. It’s good to be back home!
Kev, well, she didn’t have any choice. She wanted to take her shoes off and cross barefooted, but I advised against doing so. Those rocks can be sharp and slippery, and who knows what else may be lurking on the bottom.
Your name came up as we completed our hike. I congratulated Swan on achieving the 9K milestone and told her of my dream of walking the 29K route to the Mope Beach Resort in San Narciso. She replied that it was too far to walk. I mentioned that you regularly hike longer distances than that in Korea. Swan responded that the weather is cooler there; every kilometer feels like five in our heat. Hmm, so I guess our Hash trail was 45K on Saturday!
Swan’s comment makes sense for me since I hate heat, but what’s her excuse? She grew up in it! Besides, I distance walk in the summer, just not during the day. Still, Korean summer nights are hot and humid.
To be fair, though, you guys deal with heat and a lot more hills.
All true, Kevin. Heat adds to the stress, but I can still go much further when walking on flat ground. The thing I hate the most is a climb at the end of a long walk. That always kicks my ass.
You are in a league of your own–a true marathoner. Not everyone has that impressive capability.
Sounds like a fun time. I’m glad you had the chance to have at least a little haggis.
So Swan, like me, doesn’t like getting her feet wet, eh?
Sounds like a pretty good hash overall. Does the guy who hosted actually farm? Anything around there, or is it pretty rural? Where did the other hash groups come from?
Re: Scottish brogue. Worked with a guy from Scotland who was ironically named Ozzie Scotland. Hell of a time understanding him, and his wife was even worse. I worked with him overseas, so the locals would look to me to translate and I would just shrug. LOL
Re: No beers – but what about G&T’s? 😛
FYI, it’s scotch eggs.
Daeguowl, thanks for the clarification. Scotch eggs are pretty tasty!
Brain, Yes, our host, Honeydew, owns a large functioning farm. We walked through a large grove of mango trees, but I’m unsure what else is produced there. As you can see from the Hash Run photos, it’s a pretty rural area. Even so, our hotel was only ten minutes away in the town of Pozorubbio.
Those Scottish accents can be tough to decipher. I had a Scottish friend in Korea who was an English teacher there. I could only understand him about half the time. I also laughed about someday meeting a Korean kid with a Scottish accent and knowing who his teacher was.
Well, yes, now that you mention it, I did have six gin and tonics last night. And today, I’ll have Zero beers at the Hash. It’s good to be back home!
Kev, well, she didn’t have any choice. She wanted to take her shoes off and cross barefooted, but I advised against doing so. Those rocks can be sharp and slippery, and who knows what else may be lurking on the bottom.
Your name came up as we completed our hike. I congratulated Swan on achieving the 9K milestone and told her of my dream of walking the 29K route to the Mope Beach Resort in San Narciso. She replied that it was too far to walk. I mentioned that you regularly hike longer distances than that in Korea. Swan responded that the weather is cooler there; every kilometer feels like five in our heat. Hmm, so I guess our Hash trail was 45K on Saturday!
Swan’s comment makes sense for me since I hate heat, but what’s her excuse? She grew up in it! Besides, I distance walk in the summer, just not during the day. Still, Korean summer nights are hot and humid.
To be fair, though, you guys deal with heat and a lot more hills.
All true, Kevin. Heat adds to the stress, but I can still go much further when walking on flat ground. The thing I hate the most is a climb at the end of a long walk. That always kicks my ass.
You are in a league of your own–a true marathoner. Not everyone has that impressive capability.