Hash Tag.

Holy crop, it's hot.

Hanoi, Vietnam – For an hour, we rode a rickety pink bus whose seats were so small I could taste the sweat brewing on my knees.

At 34 degrees with 82 per cent humidity, I had also begun to question my desire to take a hike in the countryside.

I had been invited on my first hash, having no idea what it was, or what to expect. Promised an opportunity to get out of town, meet people, get some exercise and have a few beers, though, I knew it was exactly why I had resisted the temptation to over-schedule my free time in Hanoi.

Hashing clubs have existed around the world since the 1930s, claiming to be "drinkers with running problems." From the link above:

“Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of harriers and harriettes chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometer-long trails through town, country, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.”

Branching out and leaving people behind.

As part of the walking – rather than running – group, we followed our hare and searched for sporadically placed mounds of flour that marked our path – except where unimpressed locals had taken exception and washed them away. Almost immediately, we were diving through bamboo and banana leaves as we wiped sweat from our brows. Dragonflies helicoptered overhead.

We ended up in little villages and in rice paddies, where farmers with traditional conical hats huddled under faded umbrellas to tend to their crops.

Emerging near the Red River, cows huddled, nonplussed. The beer truck awaited, but we were more keen to simply melt ice all over ourselves – which did not take long. Moving on, friendly locals were surprised to see a group of foreigners traipsing through their gardens, and smiling children stuck their heads out of gates to practice their 'hellos.'

As we circled up at the end of the day, cups of beer were thrust into our hands to chants of "Down, down, down..."

The whole day – including transportation and unlimited beverages – cost 150,000 VND (about $7CDN), and was an excellent opportunity to experience things tour companies don't provide, and to meet a nice combination of locals and ex-pats.

From a personal experience standpoint, it's the highlight of my trip so far.