Chai Wan

Hare - Wai Chee Kok
Write-up - Rooted

LiT FB pics here

Naturally if even getting to the start of the run had gone without a hitch, it would not be a Wai Chee run. A promising beginning with an arrow marked ‘start’ after exit D of the MTR was soon undone by seeing an ‘on on’ arrow more clearly than arrows in the direction of the park. Only Jonathan admitted to going wrong at that point, though I feel sure there were others. (Ed: Yup, Octo!). Meanwhile, Yummy Mummy was smearing some toxic chemical all over Inflato in the hope of rendering him less attractive to females, well, female mosquitoes anyway.

The hare, having tested the quality of her bottle of cab sav that was to keep her company while we were out on the run, finally briefed the pack, and sent us all on our way. A way that took us past Willy W@nker’s chocolate factory and I’m sure a few of us wish we had twisted WW’s arm to take us on a tasting tour rather than do the run.

The arrows were few and far between and the first arrows off Checks were of differing lengths, though never close. On a more positive note, this meant that the pack stayed together and gave late comers Lost in Translation and Gin ’n’ Vomit time to catch up. At the Check on Chai Wan Road, the arrow by the lift was finally spotted declaring that we needed to go to the 17th floor. But what about the arrow with ‘B’? Wai Chee set the Babes Hash in the same place only two weeks ago, I patiently explained. No one listened to this explanation and each individually asked what ‘B’ meant and seemed little happy with my explanation. Particularly dogged about searching for a basement were Dr Evil and TV Tits no matter how many times I exasperatedly told them ‘B’ was for Babes. Out of the lift and to another Check in a housing estate. Not always a cunning plan due to over-zealous cleaners. But we did finally solve the Check and ... ran almost immediately into another one.

A Checkback in the ensuing shiggy brought the pack, that hadn’t had time to get strung out, into such close quarters that we were tripping over each other. Finally, we recalled the hare’s instruction that at a Checkback we would need to go back to the ‘on on’. Evidently that meant even if it was a good few hundred metres back. More shiggy then some tarmac. Just as we thought we’d be able to stretch our legs, we hit a Checkback. This time we headed straight back in the opposite direction with Hopeless leading the way up to the first catchwater. At a Check, I was loathe to leave the catchwater, but trail took us on a more shiggy path up to the main road to Shek O where we could engage in the risky hash pastime of traffic dodging.

A very smug Inflato solved the next Check via some derelict buildings and led the way along the next catchwater, which again I was loathe to leave, but finally followed WW’s calls of trail up to the Hong Kong Forest Track. I was at this point hallooed by the very late comer, An@l, which underscored how long we’d spent messing around at Checks.

Finally, on the steps above the cemetery, we found the Wimp/Rambo split. WW was pretending to be indecisive as to which route to go, but when my usual running buddy Pole Dancer and long-time returnee Double O (formerly Dirkhead) abandoned their dignity by taking the easy option, WW felt justified in wimping out. A foolhardy few souls tackled the Rambo loop. It was a shiggy climb over Pottinger and then down to join a concrete trail. An option, left to Cape Collinson Road or right towards Big Wave Bay. Left would have made so much more sense. So much so, that the Check brought all the Rambos together to search down steps to the left and any possible shiggy path off that way that would link us back to the wimps. Naturally, trail went in the counter-intuitive direction. Cheesy found the way and he was soon flying off, being chased down by Burning Lust with An@l and Southside Hash Toy following. Myself, Jonathan and Pig Fokker were caught off-guard by the sudden call of trail so it took a while to catch up. Hitting the third catchwater section, I recalled the hare’s comments about Rambos re-joining the wimps and realised she had meant at the split. Which, consequently, meant nearly 2km on the catchwater. I decided to speed up to get it over with.

Luckily, there had been some Wimps through who had chalk and knew how to mark, so the route from the re-join through the cemetery and then through a park and the housing estates was fairly well marked. Well, it didn’t cause me, Southside Hash Toy and An@l any problems. Behind us though, Jonathan and Pig Fokker had got lost and ran down the Lin Ching road rather than the more exciting route through the park and down a final section of shiggy.

Finally finished in 1 hour 35 minutes, 10.5km (on a run advertised as 9km), very hot and sweaty but surprisingly not too scratched for a Wai Chee run. The hare, who hadn’t quite drunk the whole bottle of red while we’d been out on trail, did manage to join us for the bash before making a quick exit to catch a plane to London.

Down Downs by Hopeless

Hare.... Wai Chee Kok – quick DD before she heads to the airport.

Gin n Vomit – quick DD for being late – before she roars off on her motorbike

TV Tits – quick DD before leaving – bling hat

Welcome back Macau Drunk – nearly 50 runs back now

905 runs and now #1 - Hopeless

Rooted & Poledancer - returnees

Double O - returnee form the 90s

Jonathan - 10 runs and no recognition, he was waiting for his fanfare, drink for Pig Fokker’s 25th run

Late – and caught up easily – Lost In Translation

Yummy Mummy comes to a graveyard run.. not usual

Last night of “pink ticket” – Poledancer

No more Pink Tickets – Burning Lust

Pink ticket tonight, accompanying Poledancer to Wanchai – South Side Hash Toy

Good food ordering - Octopussy

Rambos – BL, Rooted, Jonathon

Shortcutting - Inflato

BLUE GIRL beer expert – Macau Drunk

Double O – hates Space/Dame Invader and is pleased he is based in HK now

Octopussy – got her new bag tag the wrong way round so not sure which was her LSWH3 bag

Singing the song, Macau Drunk & Hopeless, with Poledancer, Burning Lust and Jonathon accompanying.

Next week’s run - Rooted "Mei Foo? Yes indeed!"

Rambos 10.82km 94mins