Travelling

[Jassassino]

Anybody got any holidays, trips or travels coming up soon? 

I'm heading to China on 1st May, really looking forward to going back - I spent a month in Chengdu back in 2016, so it will be like a ten year anniversary trip for me (even if I'm not going back to Chengdu).

I've got a little over two weeks booked off for it. Hoping to do a crescent tour of cities starting in Beijing, and even planning on doing a few Kung Fu lessons whilst there (booked one in with the Shaolin Temple as part of a group lmao. Looking forward to seeing if what people say about Shaolin Temple being a state-sponsored McDojo is true).

[Wayno]

I'd love to go China in the future, but it's not on the cards any time soon, unfortunately.

I'm going to Slovenia (Ptuj) in August (I'm booking the flights early next month). The European Juggling Convention is being held there and this is my excuse to do a solo holiday. I was looking at booking accommodation but it turns out the ticket for the Convention includes camping spot so it looks like I'll be camping for 7 to 9 days. Plus the idea of being one of few people disappearing to accomdation when the vast majority of people are camping feels antithetical to the experience. Who knows what juggling shenanigans I'll miss at 3am in a field full of fellow weirdos! Not that I have a clue of what to expect.

Next year the EJC is in The Azores which definitely interests me.

[Dirty Duck]

How is China @Jassassino? I hope you've secured lots of Mixue Mascot weebls for me, xiexie!

[Jassassino]

How is China @Jassassino? I hope you've secured lots of Mixue Mascot weebls for me, xiexie!

It's going well! It really is a great country with delicious and cheap food. Insane how a phone is so vital to just about everything here in comparison to ten years back, but being in Nanjing now, it feels like the core of what I always felt was there about the country is still so present. It's nice tbh.

Shanghai was wonderful, felt the most like a mix of Tokyo/Osaka of any place I've been to, but then it throws a spanner in the works with that with random streets lined with French houses and buildings and a lot of Art Deco NYC styled plazas and buildings dotted between, think it's been my favourite spot so far.

Hiked up a mountain today to Foding Palace, a massive Buddhist temple complex, really welcome retreat from cities I've been in a lot. The hike was nice, but our mates out there did warn (and accurately so) me of how hikes in China are nothing like Europe, with a lot of infrastructure to guide you and enable it - it's a mixed bag, it definitely makes it easier, but a 7km walk in 26/27° heat is already a demanding task, so it's a strange choice and does take you out of the trek. But it was still nice. Some pics of today:















Also, Mi Xu E?? I've never even heard of them!

[Agent]

Sick photos Jass, gonna need to know your lens/flash setup...

[Wayno]

I'd love to go China in the future, but it's not on the cards any time soon, unfortunately.

I'm going to Slovenia (Ptuj) in August (I'm booking the flights early next month). The European Juggling Convention is being held there and this is my excuse to do a solo holiday. I was looking at booking accommodation but it turns out the ticket for the Convention includes camping spot so it looks like I'll be camping for 7 to 9 days. Plus the idea of being one of few people disappearing to accomdation when the vast majority of people are camping feels antithetical to the experience. Who knows what juggling shenanigans I'll miss at 3am in a field full of fellow weirdos! Not that I have a clue of what to expect.

Next year the EJC is in The Azores which definitely interests me.

Booked my flights this evening. The EJC runs from Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th. Only direct flights from Manchester are Friday and Mondays. So I've Instead of doing connecting flights on the days I've decided to do Friday until Monday. Friday in Ljubljana, EJC in Ptuj from 1st until the 9th then Maribor afternoon of the 9th until afternoon of the 10th. Bit annoyed at first about the flight patterns but two solid days in two cities I might never have visited otherwise for only a few quid more is pretty good going.

[Wayno]

The view from my tent isn't bad. That's Ptuj castle, Slovenia and now at the European Juggling Conventionafter spending my first day in Ljubana. The weather is VILE. Average temperature for my first 7 days has been/will be 36C (I'm on day 4) before it drops to the chilly temperature of 29C before rising again. As a pseudo ginger I'm in hell.

[Dirty Duck]

The view from my tent isn't bad. That's Ptuj castle, Slovenia and now at the European Juggling Conventionafter spending my first day in Ljubana. The weather is VILE. Average temperature for my first 7 days has been/will be 36C (I'm on day 4) before it drops to the chilly temperature of 29C before rising again. As a pseudo ginger I'm in hell.

What sort of events are happening at the convention? Are juglists respectable after hours bedfellows?

[Jassassino]

The view from my tent isn't bad. That's Ptuj castle, Slovenia and now at the European Juggling Conventionafter spending my first day in Ljubana. The weather is VILE. Average temperature for my first 7 days has been/will be 36C (I'm on day 4) before it drops to the chilly temperature of 29C before rising again. As a pseudo ginger I'm in hell.

Honestly, what great view to have. The juggling jesters all vying for the top spot in the Royal's Court, keeping what's important in sight.

[Wayno]

What sort of events are happening at the convention?

Workshops all day - everything from balls, clubs, rings and diabolo to unicycle, acrobatics, aerial arts, slackline and even a "highline" strung up over the town

People on the highline:

One of juggling halls and workshop board:

Open stages - anyone can get up and perform, no audition needed. (Avoided like the plague)
Renegade shows - impromptu late-night performances, unofficial and often the wildest ones. (They don't appeal to me and neither does staying up last my bed time to see it. Maybe if I wasn't duper cranky from the heat)

International Gala shows - the big ticketed spectacle nights, proper circus performers from all over the world. This was awesome. I was hoping for some decent videos to end up online but nothing much yet.

not sure if YouTube Shorts will embed:

Fire space every night — a dedicated area for fire juggling/spinning (again doesn't appeal, too late and cranky from heat exhaustion)

Fight Night - "gladiators," basically a juggling mosh pit where everyone tries to knock each other's clubs to the ground. (Great fun, hoping to partipate next time.)

Diabolo Battle & Juggle Fit — competitive/games-style events (had a workshop and missed these)
Combat Juggling & Joggling (juggling while running - why you would do this in general is beyond me, never mind in this heat)

A citywide parade through the old town (missed this, I'm not sure it happened)
Street performances all over town, hat-passing / engage-with-my-socials encouraged

some dude trying to get a Diabolo in to a net balanced on his chin:

image hosting for business

Fire performance:

Street games including competitive juggling and Unicycle jousting (without the lance)?:

Concerts and parties running until early morning (old and cranky so avoided)

A huge campsite where most people sleep for the week and lots of smaller ones, lots there in campervans which sounded awesome to do.

One of the campsites:

Location difficult for some so attendance of 3.5k is great.

A trade village - vendors selling props, clothes, gear.

Family village with kids' shows every morning. It's massively family friendly, I've had strangers tell me "Oh I bet that's full of people doing drugs etc. and I never encountered it but definitely people there mainly to get drunk with people from a similar space.

Conferences and talks on circus arts etc.


Enjoyed myself but the heat made it an endurance (did I mention it was hot?) and I didn't get as much out of it as I'd like but still glad I went and will go to another.