Chiang Mai Saturday Hash House Harriers
Drinking and Running Since 1991
Hash Trash 1537 Grand Master – Skid Mark Haberdasher – Hot Nipples
Historian & Awards Master – Superman Hash Cash – Titty Smoker
Joint Master – Just Cumming Beer Monster – Deep Throat
Religious Advisor – Chuck Wao Hare Raiser – Bushy Tail
Deputy Beer Monster – Sheep Shagger On Sec.– Stumbling Dyke
Run # 1538
Having been the hare for today’s outing, I can’t really report much about the actual run itself other than how amazing it must have been and it marked Snail Trail’s 400th run. Anyway today, I thought I would go off piste, as it were, and take a a trip down memory lane recounting my memories of those great establishments of Chiang mai’s past, those institutions being the Hash pubs and various other enterprises run by active Chiang mai hashers.
Back in 1995, on my first ever visit to Chiang mai and one of my very earliest memories of this city , we all adore, was walking down from McDonald’s in the Night Bazaar towards the metal bridge and noticing a pub with a dart board. At that time, I was at my peak dart fitness – if even such a category exists. So I decided to go in and pitch a few arrows – technical darts jargon. Little did I know at the time how much of an impact this decision was going to have on my life. I was entering the Hash Pub and subsequently the whole of the hashing world. Akin to stepping into a parallel universe, I suppose.
It was a pretty regular looking kind of a place with about 8 or 9 customers all minding their own business. I ordered a beer and proceeded to randomly throw a few darts at the board. It wasn’t long before I was approached by the girl running the bar, Misfortune, challenging me to a game, she suggested, to make it interesting, the loser buy the winner a beer. Who was I to refuse? It seemed like a pleasurable activity to engage in for a while on a balmy Chiangmai evening. Anyway, I won about 3 games, so that meant I was three beers to the good. Happy just to sit down and enjoy my free beer, I was then challenged by Superbitch who fancied her chances. Again, I won all the games and ended up with about 8 free beers. Suffice it to say I got pretty drunk. I’m sure you would all agree, a totally succinct and apt introduction to the hashing world. It was on this occasion, I first met Superman and Just Cumming. Also in the pub at the time was the infamous Smelly Box who went on to great notoriety and bringing worldwide attention to the Chiang mai Hash, back in May 2000, but that’s another story altogether.
On my next visit to Chiang mai, which must have been about 18 months later, I wanted to return to the Hash Pub, but when I tried to find it. It had gone and I naturally assumed it had gone out of business. You have to remember that the internet at this time was very much in its rudimentary phase and the concept of smart phones would have been very much in the realms of science fiction. So information in those days had to be gleaned from word of mouth or the local press.
A while later, I met someone who suggested we go for a drink in the Hash pub which was now located on Moonmuang Road adjacent to Soi 2. When I arrived there, I was pleased to see a lot of those people I had met on my previous visit to the old pup. This Place had an excellent location which attracted many random people who just walked in off the street to revel in the local charm of the establishment. One person, I met in this way, who was to become a very committed hasher for many years, was Red Carpet. I remember her telling me that joining the hashing community totally changed her life and that was all due to her one day spontaneously going into the Hash pub for something to eat and chatting to one of the hashers who was there at the time.
Another memory I have of this place was that I was very much an active member of the darts team. There were actually 2 teams The Hash Pub Team and The Hash Fliers. I was in the latter; I can’t remember much about our performance, but I do remember getting very drunk. I recall one time playing in an extreme state of inebriation, but playing the game of my life. As a result of this performance, every other game I played members of the team would encourage me to imbibe the alcoholic beverage to up my game. I have so many memories of this Hash Pub, far too many to recount in this short article.
The final incarnation of the Hash Pub was on Kamphaeng Din Road near the Gecko Garden. This must have opened in about 2010. I wasn’t in Chiangmai at the time, so I can’t give you an accurate date. Anyway this was a convivial establishment where you could sit and pontificate and disscuss all the problems of the world well into the night. There was a dart board in this pub, but the dart league had been disbanded a couple of years before which led to its demise in popularity. These days its difficult to find any bar with a dart board,which is such a shame. This Hash pub was a victim of the drink driving crackdown in Chiang mai. With so many hashers living out of town it made it more or less impossible to drive to the pub for a beer or two, so it sadly closed a few years ago.
There were also many establishments opened and run by active Chiangmai hashers that were also considered to be de facto hash pubs. The first one I remember was the Engineer’s bar. This was a pub opened by Major Bumsore in Chiang mai Land. The theme of this bar, as the name suggests, was engineering with all the furniture being made from recycled car parts, so you could enjoy a nice cold beer while sitting on the gear box of a mk 2 Cortina. Then there was the Fish & Chip Shop located where Sheryle’s is now, this was first opened by Burrito Butt and Superbitch . Another one I remember was the Apocalypse Cantina a Mexican restaurant on Loi Kroi Road established by Suckit. There was also, Next Place at Thapai Gate again run by Suckit along with Mr Poo and Knockout. And of course we have the Bamboo Bar and Euro Diner which was opened by Always on Top and her late husband Does Nothing which is still open in these uncertain and difficult times. The new kid on the block, as it were, is Micky’s Restaurant on the Super Highway next to Ubana run by Bushy Tail.
I miss the Hash pubs very much and hope we can establish another bar dedicated to hash minded people.
OnOn Stumbling Dyke…