What is it about hashing that has gotten me so hooked? I first started hashing in Trinidad with the Port of Spain Hash House Harriers when I was a teenager, but only did a few hashes with them. Then I did a bunch more in Thailand with the Koh Samui Hash House Harriers, usually on a weekly basis. But it’s only since a new hash kennel opened up in my own neighbourhood – the South Lantau Hash House Harriers – that I’ve become full blown addicted.

What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t look at a mountain without thinking about what hidden routes are there, just waiting to be exposed and used on a run. I can’t take the bus up the beautiful, winding, mountainous South Lantau Road without looking keenly out the window for potential trails. And I can’t push the stroller around Mui Wo without peering up at the hills for little paths leading up into the hills, and thinking to myself, hmm, I have to come back and explore this some time.  

Something must be wrong with me! Addicted to alcohol… drugs… shoplifting… porn…. all of these are common addictions… but addicted to exploring the bush? Yup, I think I have a problem.

SLH3 did a fantastic hash the other day in Tsing Yi, dubbed the Ten Temples Run. (I am someone who also likes naming things, so I quite like that this hash uses clever names for its runs). All too often we just go about our daily lives, taking the same trains and roads and sidewalks to get from A to B, never thinking about what lies just beyond the train station, the bus stop, the main road. But hashing veers off the road usually travelled, and always exposes something new to you. More often than not you find yourself standing there, sweating and panting, thinking to yourself, ‘where the #$%& am I?’  And, without a doubt, you’ll find yourself wondering how on earth the hares (the people who set the route) found this area!

If you’ve never tried hashing, but like outdoor activities, then maybe you’ll enjoy it too.

Oh, did I mention that after the run you get to drink lots and lots and lots of cold beer?

Yeah.

Here are some pictures from the Ten Temples Run. If you’re in Hong Kong and interested in joining a hash, there are 13 hashes in the fragrant harbour! And literally thousands, all over the world. Even Antarctica!