AIR Hash

Yesterday I participated in the Taiwan AIR Hash, which means the "All Island Run." I think there were eight hashing groups in total there. It was epic. There were about 300 people running. It started in Kaohsiung at the southern end of the island. The climate there was much drier and warmer. I think it was about 85 degrees and fairly humid at the start of the run. The hare's name was Crocodile Dundee, a 62 year old Englishman who has climbed K2 and done other things of that nature. His skin was like a crocodile's and evidence of how much time he had spent outside adventuring. In other words, I figured this was going to be an intense run.

About three minutes into the run, we got to the first check. It turned into a real traffic jam because no one could find the next trail for at least 20 minutes. During that time, I did wander through a huge banana grove which was pretty cool because I had never seen one. Banana trees are big! Someone finally yelled ON ON and I could see my fellow hashers in the distance on the other side of a fairly large river. I had to bushwhack through a meadow with grass seven feet tall, with tons of spikey vines intertwined within it. Those vines made sure to cut the front of my legs about 100 times. After a few river crossings, we started winding around the bases of "Moon World." This is a region in Kaohsiung that is composed of very dry, steep hills of clay. The tallest ones were probably around 100 feet tall. We had to go through lots of wet clay that must've taken some peoples shoes right off. Then we had to climb two walls that had to be scaled with a running start. After that, we went straight up one of these hills. This was a sight to behold, and hopefully pictures of it are posted online. The scene looked like a bunch of ants scurrying around on the moon. The climb up the hill took about 2 minutes because it was basically like rock climbing and very slippery. At the top was a quarter-mile long stretch of barren desert. Then we started winding through the jungle again and crossed a few rivers before getting to a quarter-mile long "lake" of wet clay. That was pretty funny to cross. It was as slippery as ice. Then we had to cross another river before winding through the jungle once more. The run ended with a few large descents and ascents of staircases that traversed four hills. In all, the run took about one hour and 45 minutes, as well as many peoples desires to return to the hash.

This hash was by far the most extreme one I've done yet. Crocodile Dundee definitely lived up to his reputation. Apparently he lives in a house five miles away from anything and you have to walk to it to get there. He was pretty out there, and after the run he was wearing a leopard-print vest and a funny hat. See the pictures for a better description. The run ended by a large noodle-making factory that was pretty interesting to see. Overall though, this hash was very exciting and unique. A grand time indeed!

Our group was kicked out of the bash at the end. One of the hashers thought it would be a good idea to light his shoes on fire, and then other hashers starting dragging limbs out of the brush and adding them to the fire. The fire got going pretty well for about 10 minutes before it was extinguished and we were asked to leave the premises of the restaurant. We had a five hour ride back, during which a hasher's parents met the bus on the highway and brought us three cases of beer. It was a long day. I left my apartment at 6:45 AM and got back at 1:15 AM. One highlight of the morning when I left was that I rushed to get to Taipei by 8 AM, only to get the bus and have it drive back straight through where I live. Oh well. I actually almost missed the bus. It was literally pulling away but the back door was still open so I had to catch the bus and jump on. I was only four minutes late too. The hashers are a more punctual group than you might think.

Today, I got my first authentic Taiwanese foot massage. It was pretty fun but I'm not sure why I'd do it again. I went with two other teachers from school. My big toe was very sensitive and they told me it had something to do with my nose. I'm not sure what that meant. I also had the lady next to me ask if I could teach her English and she kept asking how much but I didn't know how to answer in Chinese. She couldn't even ask me if "can you teach me English?" She just said "English?" while pointing at me and saying "how much?" It was another classic language barrier moment. She left me alone after realizing I had no idea what was going on. The other great part of the massage is that my masseuse was talking to her friends nearby and they kept looking at me and laughing. She asked me about ten things in Chinese, all of which I responded to with a blank stare. My Chinese classes are going well but not that well. I did overcome a language barrier today when I walked to the nearby hardware store where I was able to procure a new fluorescent light for my bathroom, as well as some wood glue to try and fix a guitar my friend gave me. With a lot of pointing and a lot of money, you can go a long way in Taiwan with not a lot of knowledge. Remember that kids!