The very thing that got us all started on this project may be the same thing that could defeat us; namely, the Bali Bomb.

You see, this island is built for tourism. It is the only real industry here. Bali is completely dependent upon tourism for its financial life blood and the bastards that set that bomb killed our friends, drove away all the tourists and left the Balinese to cop it hard. We hashers watched our own businesses going broke and our Balinese friends walking around with sad eyes and broken hearts. As the people in even the most remote areas began to feel the impact of the economic collapse the gloom over the island was palpable. As we ran through villages people would welcome us like long lost friends and go to great lengths to assure us that we would be safe in ‘their’ Bali.

This was too sad, so in February of 2003, some of the old men of the Bali hash like Nightjar, Tartar, Garfield, and Jorok got together and organized a Bali Recovery Run. It attracted nearly 1000 hashers from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia and achieved the dual goals of promoting Bali’s recovery to the outside world and raising the confidence of those of us in Bali. The Recovery run was such a success that it started us thinking… What else can the Hash do for Bali?

And that’s how we started on this Interhash project. By the middle of 2003 we realized that a few other places wanted to host Interhash 2006 too and if we wanted to compete then we better get cracking. The Hash masters of the five separate kennels in Bali convened a new body, independent of the individual hashes and charged the Interhash Bid Committee with the task of bringing Interhash 2006 to Bali.

The first thing to do was get drunk. We did that. When we came to, each of us had ended up with a role on the new committee that seems to have stuck. Many of our hashers don’t speak a lot of English beyond standard hash expressions about your cleanliness, parentage and sexual preferences so they are not comfortable with a public role. But everybody helps out in whatever way they can. So we now have a small committee of seven core members who each lead teams of non-committee hashers in their various areas of responsibility. Given the tremendous diversity among our committee in age, nationality, language, occupation and opinions it still amazes me that we get along so well. We have agreed a simple plan to promote our bid, and everyone does their best with their own particular tasks.

• Our Hash Horn is Uncle, who is 84 years old and hashes three times a week. He has been playing the (same) down down song at the hash since the beginning here in 1978. He is so excited he is considering changing key for 2006.
• Our welcome committee includes Little Fart. The sum total of his English was the loud and repeated use of the phrase “fuck you.” With considerable effort we are re training Little Fart to add the word “darling” to his preceding “fuck you” so that visitors will realize he is friendly.
• Victor ‘Nightjar’ Mason thinks the whole thing is absolutely splendid and has immediately embarked upon a search for virgins and more beer. We are not sure why, but his enthusiasm is infectious.
• Tucker Fucker is our local Hash liaison. His job is to communicate to all the Indonesian hashes. We gave him the job to keep him off the catering sub committee.
• Limp Dick is lining up all the important stuff like hotels and transport. He is Swiss and thinks that stuff is sexy…hence the hash name.
• Our two secretaries work well together. FFD only speaks French and Oh-Diah only speaks Indonesian. Minutes of meetings are very short.
• Dead Meat guards the money. Without his glasses he can’t count anything but he is very big, ugly as sin and fierce as a pit-bull with PMS. So no one f*cks with the finances.
• Spook, Snake Hips and Fancy Licker are the three wise monkeys basking in the glow of everyone else’s dedication.

Our plan has been to tell as many people as possible about Bali’s bid. Quite simply, as folk realize the myriad advantages Bali enjoys as a Hash ‘n holiday destination the choice becomes obvious. The key point is that Bali has it all! We want to remind everyone that this is the #1 tourist destination in Asia (Time Magazine 2003) and we have the infrastructure and people in place specifically to deal big international events like Interhash.

This is the easiest place to stage Interhash. We have:

• Lots of direct international flights every day (more than 40) and cheap!
• Thousands of hotel rooms for every budget
• Hundreds of buses
• Unlimited run sites only an hour away from the City in the cool mountains
• Myriad holiday activities to give us a rest from hashing
• World famous beaches, awesome rice terraces and swaying palms
• Fascinating Hindu culture, temples, arts
• Delicious, icy cold beer very cheap!
• Tropical paradise weather
• Easy visa on arrival for most nationalities
• Charming friendly locals
• New medical facilities

What we have got is our own island! There is a man made island in Bali Harbour. The developers went broke so it is just a very big pile of dirt. We are negotiating the right to use that island as Hash Central. There is only one road on to the island and it comes straight off the main highway. Turtle Island is 20 minutes from the tourist precincts of Nusa Dua and Kuta and is on the way to Sanur and Ubud which makes it only 30 minutes from the nearest run sites and 90 minutes from the top of the volcanoes for the planned ball buster. We can do anything we like there in terms of noise, traffic control, bus parking, temporary stadium, music, alcohol and because it is an island the security will be much simpler.

We also have helicopters! And elephants! And cheerful, naked locals bathing in jungle streams as we run by. And fantastic weather: June is the best time of the year. And cheaper flights, rooms, food and beer. Great beer, icy cold. And real coconut trees to sit under. And drinks with little umbrellas. And lots of friendly locals, some of them very pretty! And fanatical hashers to lead you along lush jungle paths, down the sides of majestic mountains, across deep river gorges, under crystal waterfalls and through the sweeping rice terraces back home in time for a cold beer, great food, new friends and just too much fun.

We do this every week, but we plan to hold the Interhash 2006 on 2-4 June. This is the perfect time in Bali. The weather is dry and it is the coolest time of the year. It is before the peak tourist season, so airfares and hotel rates are at “shoulder” prices and there are no problems getting flights or rooms.

Folks who transit in Singapore rather than flying direct into Bali can do a few hashes there either coming or going. Or both. We have already spoken to some of the Singapore Grand masters about pre and post lube runs and they are adamant everyone will be welcomed in Singapore. Visitors who want to stay a bit longer in Indonesia can hop a short flight up to the giant Buddhist temple of Borobodur in Java which is one of the wonders of the ancient world.

All we want to do is share our beautiful home with other hashers. This is a wonderful place for young and old, the footloose or families. Run in paradise, party on a famous resort island and recover with a traditional massage on a tropical beach under a coconut tree. And feel as safe here as anywhere else in the world. Bali, caught, tried and convicted all the perpetrators of that bombing. And now we are getting on with our lives, doing what we love – hashing in Paradise. Come and join us.

Words can’t do Bali justice; it Hash to be experienced!