• Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
  • Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

Hash-Packing the World

Whether you know me as Nancy Webb or Pat Bonetar, I hope you enjoyed my trip through 4 continents and 17 countries! I can't wait to do it again!! Weiterlesen
  • Last day in Cambodia

    4. September 2018 in Kambodscha ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    Today is my last day in Cambodia. I fly to Bangkok tomorrow morning. I just finished lunch, and this afternoon I intend to go to the Russian Market to find a pair of cargo shorts. To be honest, I don't think I'll have much luck, so I may just stay in the air conditioning. It's so hot and humid outside. I'll see how I feel after a rest/nap (although I may have just talked myself out of it).

    I had a great time last evening on the school charity cruise with a few hashers. One of them, an Aussie from Perth, owns an ethical garment manufacturing business. That is, she doesn't use sweat shops to make clothes for retailers. My friends often ask me if I know anyone who can make shirts or patches. Now I know a great one.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Back in Bangkok

    5. September 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    Well, my hash-pack and I have arrived in Bangkok without any issues. I am very much looking forward to checking back into the same hotel I stayed at before. I'm at the airport now, if you couldn't tell from the selfie, on my way to catch the Airport Rail Link (train) to the aboveground rail (BTS). Just a few stops and about 300 meters of walking and I'm there.

    I didn't make it to the Russian Market last night. The air conditioning won. But tonight I'm off to the Bangkok Harriettes hash again! Yay!

    Okay. Gotta go. So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️

    P.S.: The Phnom Penh Harley dealership. 🏍️ vroom vroom
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  • Coco's Curry!

    6. September 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    I am at CoCo Ichibanya, a Japanese restaurant I often frequented in Okinawa. Coco's is so good that my awesome friend mailed me a box of travel packets to Germany! Now, I've found it in Bangkok! Yay!

    Last night with the hash was great despite the monsoon. The trail washed away, so one of the guys and I just ran around the outside of the park until we found the very end, which was where we started. While going over a bridge, we spotted a monitor in the water. It was about a meter long and looked like a small crocodile before submerging. Cool.

    I forgot to tell you yesterday. You'll never guess what show the flight from Phnom Penh played. A 1994 episode of...wait for it...Bob Ross! I kid you not! It was awesome and surreal at the same time!

    After two months in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, Bangkok looks soooooo Westernized! I'm really happy to be back in Thailand, this time for the beginning of the hash parties.

    I've already run into a random hasher on the street this morning, and several of my friends arrive from Norway, Estonia, Guam, Australia, etc. this afternoon and tomorrow morning! Yay!

    Oooooh! Food is here! So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
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  • And so it begins!

    7. September 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We had another hash last night. Yay! My friend from Norway arrived ("Swedish Bubbles") followed by my friend from Estonia ("Stains the Couch"). Love these guys! I also got to see a friend from Madrid and a new old friend from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lots of fun yet again.

    Some of my Okinawa family arrives later today. They're coming in from the US, South Korea, and Guam. The rest of them will meet us in Kuala Lumpur next week. Yay! More friends from Europe are also arriving today. It's going to be so great to see so many faces that I really miss.

    I'm having lunch at an Aussie pub, The Game. Really good food, AND they have black pudding, a type of blood sausage (Google it). Nom nom nom.

    Pretty much every day from 5 Sep-1 Oct is a hashing day: Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Hat Yai, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Nha Trang, and ending in Yangon (formerly Rangoon). That's Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma). If we're not running, then we're together having "drinking practice" (dinner and socializing). I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Sunday is a hashing day!

    9. September 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    On another bus, this time with the hashers heading to Pattaya for today's trail and dinner. It's about a two-hour drive and, in great hash fashion, there is cold beer provided on the bus with a bathroom stop half way. More beer is under the bus to restock the cooler. Yay!

    Having so much fun running into people that I know from all over the world. And people I don't know who know me. The girl in the photo with me is from the US and friends with a friend of mine from Germany. He told her to pass me a hug! Success!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Tuesday is a hashing day

    11. September 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    We had a great time yesterday, which was no surprise. The overnight train trip was as crazy as I thought it would be. Awesome!

    We are now in Hat Yai, Thailand. My leg is hurting pretty bad, and I really don't want it to get infected, so I'm not doing trail today. They Hat Yai Hash met us at the station with a wonderful percussion band and traditional dancers. Then a local authority (mayor?) gave a welcome speech. It was all pretty cool.

    The noon selfie was in the elevator because we're checking into the hotel. The hash is this afternoon.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Thursday is a hashing day

    13. September 2018 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We just arrived in Kuala Lumpur! The Train Rumble Back to Mother is complete with no life-threatening injuries (only one to hospital with a broken hand). Success!

    We are now in a bus bound for a nearby park where the Mother Hash 80th Anniversary Green Dress Run will begin around 3 pm. Yay!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Friday is a hashing day

    14. September 2018 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    What a great time at the Green Dress Run yesterday! They walked us all over the city, about 9 kilometers/5 miles! But it was lovely. I've seen so many old friends and made so many new old friends from all over the world. It is absolutely fantastic!

    We're now gathering at the venue for this evening's welcome ceremony. I arrived at 9 am (why do I do this to myself) to assist a friend from Germany in making hash necklaces. Tonight will definitely be an amazing way to start Mother Hash's 80th birthday party!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Saturday is a hashing day

    15. September 2018 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    What an awesome time last night with so many new and old friends! Now, the 2,100 of us are on buses going to the runs. My knees are healing nicely but still yucky and sore, so I'm doing the Old Farts walk. I should be able to keep the wounds clean.

    Tonight is the big party in the stadium. It will no doubt be very crazy and very fun. I'm not getting much rest, only a few hours each night, but I'm having so much fun with everyone that I don't care!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Sunday is a hashing day

    16. September 2018 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Another awesome but exhausting day yesterday. The Old Farts trail I went on turned out to be most definitely not a flat walking trail. Rather, it was scrambling up and down tiny jungle paths with thorny bamboo and slippery mud. It took us over two hours to go only 3 kilometers/1.8 miles. It would have been a great trail.if that's what I had wanted to do. I went down on my bad knee and tore it open again. The EMTs cleaned it up for me. Ouch! But there was beer at the end to quench our thirst and a cool monsoon shower to rinse off the mud.

    After the Hares lied yesterday, I'm not doing any trail today. However, there is a Sake Hash at 5 pm that I am planning to do here at the stadium. It should be great fun.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Monday is a day of rest

    17. September 2018 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    The last day of Mother Hash's 80th Anniversary party was yet again awesome. I missed the Sake Hash unfortunately, but I did join in the Agana H3 circle (they're from Guam). Fun and funny!

    After the venue closed, we went to the Royal Selangor Club, which is the original Hash House. We found a member who opened the Hash Bar for us, but not to drink in, only to look at the walls. On one wall is a paper scroll with the hand-written lineage of every hash kennel in the world! I found both Okinawa and Sembach, my kennels from Japan and Germany, respectively. Here are their lineages:

    Kuala Lumpur (Mother) H3, founded 1938.
    Singapore H3, founded 1962.
    Taipei H3, founded 1973.
    Okinawa H3, founded 1979.
    Gulf Coast H3, founded 1990.
    Sembach H3, founded 1999.

    I am exhausted on a rock star level, so today is just sleeping, laundry, lunch, napping, and packing. I have to pick up my friend at 7 am to go to the airport in the morning. Why does morning have to start so early?! 😉

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Friday is a hashing day

    21. September 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    This morning was the Red Dress Run with about 200 or so people in all states of red. The men, of course, had the sexiest outfits, many complete with balloons for grossly exaggerated but extremely funny breasts. I'm sure the locals will be talking about us for quite some time!

    Yesterday's trip to the amusement park ended on a sour note. On our last water slide, my friend and his wife went tandem with her in back. He held on, but she slipped loose and rammed her two front teeth into the back of his scalp. She was fine, but he had to go to the hospital for several stitches. The remaining five of us couldn't help them, so--as true friends must--we rode a final roller coaster (best one of all) and went back to the hotels. They were both back at the hash this morning looking none the worse for wear.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Sunday is a hashing day

    23. September 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Picking up from yesterday, I wasn't able to find a swimsuit large enough to fit me, but I did find an Addidas store with sports bras and bike shorts, which are an acceptable substitute. When the gang got back from the Saturday hash, we met up at the rooftop pool in one of our hotels. Nice view of both the American-built former air strip and the ocean. After that, we had a great time at the Saturday night hash party, followed by an after party dancing with a hundred Russians. Epic.

    Today is the last day of the Mekong Indochina Hash and they've taken us to this beautiful beach. It's days like these when I feel like I need a hard pinch to make sure it's all real.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Monday is a hashing day

    24. September 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Yesterday's boat trip to the private beach was amazing! I got more sun than I expected and when we got back to mainland around 5 pm, I went straight to the hotel to take a cool shower and a nap. Problem was, the nap turned into sleep. I woke up at midnight. Oops. Oh well. It was a nice sleep.

    Now I'm packing for tomorrow's flight to Myanmar (aka Burma). There is a Full Moon Hash this evening, but I'm not fully committed to going yet. Maybe after I pack I'll feel more like it.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • ON ON to Yangon!

    25. September 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    I'm at Cam Ranh International Airport on my way to another hash weekend, this time in Yangon, Myanmar (known in the US as Rangoon, Burma). Wish me luck that I don't miss my connecting flight in Hanoi.

    Last night was a great Full Moon Hash event with an amazing dinner spread by the river. I'm looking forward to seeing old and making new old friends in Yangon.

    Have to board now. So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Welcome to Yangon

    26. September 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    I and my checked bag made it to Yangon without missing the connecting flight! While waiting to board in Hanoi, I watched a couple of Vietnamese Air Force MiGs (I believe) land using their chutes. They parked in some open-ended quonset huts, so I guess they use the airport as both commercial and military. In the background of the pic, you can see a white one taxiing.

    I grabbed an hour-long cab ride from the airport for a whopping 10,000 Kyat/6 USD. The kid spoke a heavily accented, basic English and did his best to point out places along the way. I tried to get a shot of the Shwedagon Pagoda with the full moon above it when we slowed for all the traffic jams.

    The hostel serves breakfast in its eighth floor nook, which overlooks part of the city. Cool. Not cool is that I'm in another 30-minute offset time zone.

    A new old friend is arriving from Vietnam this evening and we're meeting after she checks in, so I took today off to stay in the air conditioning. Right now I'm watching the movie "Snakes on a Plane," which, believe it or not, I've never seen before. Pretty stupid, but not terrible for a lazy day on YouTube. When I saw both a coral snake and a king snake, I couldn't help but think of a rhyme my grandfather taught me in North Texas:

    Red touching black is safe for Jack.
    Red touching yellow will kill a fellow.

    Apparently in this movie, they both kill you. LOL!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Resting in the air conditioning

    27. September 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ 🌧 88 °F

    I met up with a friend last night. She's from Kentucky, and the place we went to had her favorite bourbon. We had planned to meet up this morning to do a self-guided walking tour of the city, but neither one of us were up to it. This evening, however, we're meeting up with a group of hashers, so I'm taking advantage of the hotel's air conditioning until then. It's not quite as hot and humid as Vietnam, but it's still enough for your sweat to soak through your clothes in about 15 minutes. The evenings are much better except for the monster mosquitoes.

    I'm not going to get much sightseeing done here, but I'm okay with that. I really just came here for the hash weekend.

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
    Weiterlesen

  • Friday is a hashing day

    28. September 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Last night I met up with about 25 hashers for dinner and drinks followed by a couple of night clubs. There were several people that I've been around since 8 September when the hash train trip began. We had a great time!

    Today, my friend and I just checked into the hotel where the Saturday night party will be held. It's super nice, and they gave us an upgrade to lake view. Beautiful.

    Tonight is the Full Moon Hash that kicks off this hash weekend. We're celebrating the Yangon Hash's 1600th trail. Yay!

    So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️
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