Bali Recovery Run

If there exists any association or confraternity of individuals in this world better equipped to bring people together than the Hash House Harriers, then I do not know of it.
The hash, as it is familiarly referred to by its adherents, is an intermingling of many types whose single-minded – some might opine simple – common aim is togetherness. Run together, drink together, sing a song together. All together now!
Here, in Bali, where the Bali Hash House Harriers are staging the Bali Recovery Run, togetherness is the key. It is probably best expressed via the system known as gotong royong, which may be defined as mutual assistance, in which members of a banjar or village community gather together to menggotong, which means to carry or share the burden together of fulfilling some task that will benefit the community as a whole.
In setting up this Bali Recovery Run, Bali Hash House Harriers are assuredly performing the function of gotong royong. Far broader in concept and scale than a typical community project, such as cleaning up the grassy verges of a given locality, the object of this particular exercise is to revitalize Bali, above all by bring together people, not only from within Bali itself, but also from the rest of Indonesia, and indeed from all the world that lies outside our incomparable archipelago.
Invitations to the event have been sent to the Regional Hash Websites worldwide, reaching around 1,200 chapters and 100,000 members all told. If only one percent of potential participants respond, it will still represent a significant number of visitors to the island once described by Pandit Nehru as the Morning of the World. It is awfully hard, given these uncertain times, to predict actual attendance figures, but the organizers are reasonably confident that the Bali Recover Run will attract at least 1,000 runners, not including those fielded by Bali Hash House Harriers themselves. The final tally could be substantially greater. And it is a matter of record that Interhash ’88 (when Bali hosted the biennial international HHH meet) entertained about 2,300 guests, at a time when there were far fewer Hash chapters in existence.
So when and where is the big show going to take place? The dates chosen are the weekend of Saturday, February 15th and Sunday, February 16th; the main venue for the event is the Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur, where the Bali Recovery Run Secretariat is located, and where the gala opening and closing ceremonies are to be held.
For those wishing to spend more time here, there will also be the opportunity to avail themselves of Bali Hash House Harriers hospitality, by joining runs on Friday, February 14th and Monday, February 17th. And these dates should be marked in all intending participants’ diaries now. They represent four very special days in any calendar. The extraordinary concurrence of festival days comprises successively: Valentine’s Day (14th), Cap Go Meh (15th), Septuagesima (16th), and the Buddhist celebration of Maghapuja (17th). There will also be a full moon on the 16th. What more could anyone ask for?
The whole point of the exercise – the sole aim if you will – is to bring people back to Bali. To this end, sponsorship is being sought both from within and without the organization, to hold the Bali Recovery Run and cover expenses. There is no question of trying to make a profit per se: any surplus of income over expenditure will be channeled directly to those most deserving of it; i.e. victims of the recent disaster, whomsoever they may be.
As I said at the outset, there is no better organization – better placed, better connected – to bring people together than the Hash House Harriers and their truly global network.
I do hope that all remaining travel advisories will have been rescinded well in time for the Bali Recovery Run; but, whatever the case, people will surely use their common sense, come what may, and return to Bali, which will always remain one of the most alluring travel destinations on earth.Victor Mason,
Chairman, Bali Recovery Run
Email: info@balirecoveryrun.com
Web: www.balirecoveryrun.com

More Flights to Bali

Denpasar-To fulfil the increasing demand for flights to Bali for Christmas and New Year 2003, Garuda Indonesia and Mandala Airlines have added flights to Bali. “On an average day, Garuda Indonesia usually puts on eight flights from Jakarta to Denpasar. Now, Garuda has added twenty-one flights, with the capacity of 12.148 seats,” said Pujobroto, Vice President of Corporate Communications of Garuda Indonesia. He also added that DC-10’s have been replaced with A-330, capable of carrying 293 passengers.
Mandala Airlines, which flies the Jakarta-Denpasar via Surabaya route, has also added flights. “On an average day, Mandala puts on two flights from Jakarta-Denpasar. Now we are adding three extra flights per day.” said Koes Winarko, Marketing Development Manager of Mandala Airlines, as quoted in Kompas. Mandala uses the Boeing 737-200 with a capacity of 100 seats. Mandala Airlines have already sold out all tickets up until 31 December, with about 200 passengers on the waiting list.