Hashing in Dubai

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The Hash House Harriers is an international running, drinking, and social club. Sometimes described as a “drinking club with a running problem,” there is a hash group in practically every major city in the world. Hashing began way back when in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur by a group of British expats.

The co-ed group in Dubai is called the Desert Hash House Harriers (dh3) and they meet every Sunday around sunset for their runs. There is also a male-only group in Dubai.

Basically, the group (aka the “pack”) meets at the appointed place and time (different every week) and then begins to follow a trail of arrows (marked by spray paint, chalk, flour, sometimes even toilet paper) set earlier that day by the “hares.”

Now the hares are tricky so they sometimes make false trails or trails that lead nowhere so one has to be smart enough to find the real trail. Or at least smart enough to follow the people who think they’ve found the real trail. In this way, while the pack leaders are off looking for the correct trail, the slower folk can catch up so that we all reach the end of the trail at the same time. Because the end of the trail is where the beer is (in Dubai, the trail almost always ends at a bar) and we don’t want the fast people getting there too early and drinking all the beer now – do we?

In Dubai, the cost is 50 dirhams and that gets you dinner and drinks (beer, soda, or water).

I have hashed a couple times in New York and this past weekend I did my second hash in Dubai. At this run, their was the usual beer, soda, and water but also GIN and TONIC! Mmm…and they were good gin and tonics – perfectly chilled too! Great fun as always!

I love these runs because you get a bit of exercise (3-5 miles), you get to see different parts of Dubai, and you also get to meet a lot of different people from all over the world. Hashers tend to be a traveling bunch so oftentimes you get visitors from other Hashes.

So, if you too have a running and drinking problem – join us! And if you don’t run, that’s okay as there are walkers too.

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