Interhash 2002 in Goa will always be remembered as one of the best – “by hashers for hashers”. So, it seemed fitting that following the lengthy breaks for Covid-19 that the hashers of India would step in and host Interhash in the hashing paradise that is Goa – and for those of us who made it to south India, we’re glad they did.
One of the best bits of Interhash is to arrive early and ease yourself into the weekend. Sometimes the small parties are the best ones – and that proved to be the case in Goa. The organising committee set up a WhatsApp group for all participants that kept us up to date with everything that happened over the week. On the Tuesday of Interhash the committee organised an exclusive booze cruise on the River Sal – and 30 of us had a wonderful time watching the sun go down in a tropical paradise. As an added bonus, we saw a partial eclipse of the blood moon – stunning stuff.
The beer was cold, the rum plentiful, the food really decent and the people lovely. A brilliant start to the week. The booze cruise was so successful, the committee laid it on the next day.
The Thursday of Interhash is traditionally Red Dress Day – and 170 of us turned up suitably attired. The run started around 20 minutes away by bus. It was hot – around 36c when the usual temperature in mid-November is 28c. We took in some great river views and saw a slice of country life in Goa. The beer stop at half way proved to be a perfect diversion. At 9kms, it was tough sledding – but we really enjoyed it as we caught up with friends, old and new.
The on on venue was stunning – a new place called Gigis, bang on the beach. We got to watch the sun slowly sink into the water as we got stuck into the Kingfisher and ate some first-class food. Pretty good circle as well – the weekend was off to a classy start.
River Cruise
River Cruise (2)
The Friday of Interhash is normally a super party – where you catch up with all your old mates and drink far too much. Goa proved no different. We arrived at the venue as the sun was setting – and it was stunning. We were handed a welcome scarf (nice touch). The Interhash Goa sign began to shine brightly and the band “Lynx” were warming up with some great blues. It was a superb vibe. Interhash Chair Obelix opened up the weekend by noting that the Interhash was “By hashers, for hashers” something which was appreciated by those in attendance. The beer flowed and as an added bonus we got to tuck into excellent pre-mixed Gin & Tonic. A superb evening.
White Trash and Friend
Tablewhine, Ryde, White Trash and Black Hole at the welcome party
Its an in joke (several Americans bought tickets to Genoa by mishtake when they were going to Interhash 2002, in Goa!)
Interhash this year was split into two different run sites with runs of various lengths going from each site. On Saturday we headed south to Cabo De Rama and the spectacular and ancient Portuguese Fort which sits on a cliff above the sea. The views are amazing with the waves crashing onto the rocks and beaches below.
The run itself took us to a beautiful secluded beach with a solitary beach bar under construction. The waves breaking offshore told of a riptide that sadly made the sea in the bay un-swimmable. We then headed down the road to the fort and ended up in the back yard of a local bar for the circle. The owners of the bars served up welcome sandwiches to go with the Kingfisher.
Party Beach
Really entertaining circle run by various RA’s from different parts of the world. We then headed back to the venue.
That a big block of ice you've got there
Still on the ice!
We have to thank Birdtable (GM of NZ hashes) and The Worm for ingeniously organising the down-down competition. In this post covid era they used cut up water bottles to make the drinking vessels. The competition itself saw half a dozen enter each competition. The winners were Ho White from Alaska who led all Harriettes, and Loverboy from Delhi who necked close to two litres in a nifty 16 seconds – our congratulations go to both. We then danced the night away.
On Sunday we went to Church – in our case to the start of the run at the iconic Three Kings Church in Cansaulim. The Church sits at the highest point in South Goa and has incredible views to the beaches and the hinterland. The Church is open one day a year – naturally on 6 January; The Feast of the Three Kings.
The run took us through palm-lined local villages and had plenty of Goan flavour. Those on the medium run came across a cock fight. The run ended at a very Goa like location – a Feni distillery. The circle was on a lovely terrace – plenty of cold beer and nice snacks to go with the ice, songs and generally great banter.
Sunday evening was themed “A touch of India” and folks dressed accordingly. The evening was really chilled – there was a handover ceremony with Bluevein from Queenstown taking the baton to host Interhash in 2024.
Quick word on the band “Lynx” – versatile and brilliant. Could play a variety of styles from smooth blues to jumping Punjabi. They were warriors.
This being Goa, the party continued on Monday with beer and gin give aways. Everyone was happy.
Goa 2022 “For Hashers, by Hashers” was a model on how to organise a small hash event. Decent goodie bag, nice runs, superb venues, tasty food and the whole thing ran on time. Awesome. Thanks go to Obelix (Goa GM), Pusher, TE (just brilliant with logistics), Triple X and the rest of the Goa team for a superb event.
Queenstown! The bar is high!!
White Trash
London
December 2022
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