Our January Sunday

Another mum blogger was calling for Sunday posts, and I decided to share ours. We actually do have a pretty much "standard Sunday" - lounging around the pool or taking the boat out for a picnic but this was neither.
Brunei, wedged between two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, has managed to preserve a much larger territory of pristine rainforest thanks to the oil and gas income, thus saving the forests from logging. Especially in the Temburong District, most of the landmass is conserved forest. But there are still some walking and running routes in the capital area that allow everyone to explore the rainforest and its flora and fauna nearly from their doorstep.

For this aim, we have joined the Hash. Hashing is a decades old tradition, originated in 1938 in Malaysia. Its original aims are not close to this children's hash - we'll touch them in another post in the future about the Hens' Hash... - but still the promotion of physical fitness is recognisable, as well as getting together with friends and having the chance to explore the jungle. The first Brunei Hash House Horrors - or Junior Hash - was run in 1979 but this was only our 3rd run.

Entering the jungle

Every month few members together lay a run in one of the some 15 sites left in the capital city region. The kids' hash has the most members of the Brunei Hashes, and as it's open for all ages and abilities it offers 3 options for runs. After one mistake of 90 minutes of scurrying along with short legs we have since aimed for a short run which is just a hop and a skip in the jungle, really, but long enough for a 3 year old. This month was expectedly muddy as it has rained incessantly since December. If that wasn't enough, it also included a river crossing, and an unfortunately nasty ant bite on Sofia's bottom. I thought that was maybe the end to any future hashing but there were smiles after screams.

It was muddy but fun! 

After the run, there is of course some beverages (for the adults) and fish & chips (for the kids). This month's hash was super special as the pool was open after the run so all the muddy individuals were thrown in. I'm yet to convince Phil that this is fun but I find it essential to take the opportunity in exploring the jungle whilst we live on Borneo. With tens and tens heavy footed people I'm not sure we will ever see much of the local wildlife, though, but just admiring the vegetation and the views once reaching a hill top is a great way to spend a Sunday for me.

Well earned dinner