22 Oct 2021
Peru is located on the Pacific coast of South America, and is bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. The number one tourist attraction is the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, which are located in the southern region, near Cusco. Up in the northern region, Peru is also home to the headwaters of the Amazon River that flows out of Peru in an easterly direction across Brazil and to the Atlantic Ocean. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica "The name Peru is derived from a Quechua word implying land of abundance, a reference to the economic wealth produced by the rich and highly organized Inca civilization that ruled the region for centuries. The country's vast mineral, agricultural, and marine resources long have served as the economic foundation of the country, and, by the late 20th century, tourism had also become a major element of Peru's economic development."
After a review of the HHH Genealogy, there was scant information on hash clubs in Peru. I then checked the Harrier International World Hash Handbook & Directory (Run #7 with information collected and printed in 1993, by Tim "Magic" Hughes), hashing first arrived in Peru sometime in 1981. This original Lima H3 was founded by Juan Carlos 'Pinchy' Valdivia, who was assisted by his wife Ducky 'Daisy Duck' Valdivia, and David Hartford. Out of curiosity to see if I could find anything more, I googled Juan Carlos Valdivia, and found there were hundreds of profiles, so this must certainly be a popular name. Pinchy had previously hashed with the Manila H3, in the Philippines, so I contacted the Manila H3 to see if they had any details. Unfortunately, they did not start keeping records until 1982, so no specifics could be gathered there. If anyone out there in the hash world hashed in Lima prior to 1990, or knows anyone who did, please contact me. I would like to dig deeper into this mystery, as the Lima H3 is also credited as the first hash club to form in South America, closely followed by the Buenos Aires H3 that was founded in 1982.
A second iteration of the Lima H3 was formed on 3 Mar 1993, when John Pilk arrived from the Ottawa H3, in Canada. John was assisted by Mike 'Yesser' Yetman. Running weekly, this club had accumulated 20 runs by 18 Jul 1993, just before the publishing date of directory.
In the hash directory printed up in 2008, for the Interhash in Perth, it recorded the third, and current iteration of the Lima H3 formed on 30 March 1996. This iteration was founded by Tom 'Ivory Ghost' Fallon) who had arrived from the Abidjan H3, of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. He was assisted by Marisol Diaz and Eric 'Cabana Boy' Lyman, and over the past 25 years they have completed nearly 750 hash trails.
Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for many years, and I have been tracking the Lima H3 for nearly a decade, looking for the right opportunity to visit. Finally, this month, I was able to get to Peru, but unable to get up to Machu Picchu. The COVID epidemic has seen vast reductions in tourist allowed to visit the site, as well at the next 'Transformers' movie is being shot up around the area, which has also greatly reduced access. Wait times are from 3 to 6 months, unless you work through a travel agency that may be able to get you in sooner.
Although public activities have been impacted by national restrictions connected to COVID, the Lima H3 do occasionally get out for gatherings when the mood strikes. Fortunately, I was able to join them for a couple hash runs in and around the city recently. The first run was up to the northern edge of the city, out along the beach, where we ran over several sand dunes, and visited the Cuevas del Pirata. The Cuevas del Pirata are caves formed naturally by the erosion of rocks influenced by ocean currents. Coincidentally, after 37 years of running hash trails, this was also the 100th country / territory I have had the pleasure to hash in, and the Lima H3 were so kind to help celebrate with me. The second trail was in city center, taking in many historic buildings and ancient ruins, including the old wall. With just a week on this visit, I was only able to see a few sites, but did enjoy many local foods and drinks, along with meeting many of the wonderful Lima Hashers. I will definitely be going back for another visit.
The Lima H3 generally meets on Saturday afternoons, and updated info can be found on their website at https://www.facebook.com/groups/14448170326
For many more articles like this on the history of hashing, check out . . . http://gotothehash.net/history/inthespotlight.html