An Oz Circus in Calgary, I Kid You Not

Patrick Canada, Entertainment, Theatre

It’s easy to find a bunch of Australians in Calgary – normally all you have to do is go up to the ski hills in Banff and Lake Louise. It’s much more difficult trying to find a bunch of Aussies perform an astonishing 61 circus acts in 60 minutes. Fortunately, Circa and its four performers not only manage to pull it off without the potential droll, but they manage to make it a blast for everyone in the audience. Tonight I was lucky enough to see them on the opening night with the folks from Theatre Junction at The Grand. Their first night wasn’t a completely full house, although the the standing ovation at the end demonstrated exactly how much value everyone received for the price of their ticket.

Circa

To say that the performers, made up of one lady and three gentlemen, are charismatic would be an understatement. Their witty commentary and perfect timing takes you on a journey through the different circus acts where you literally laugh, cry and cringe your way through some mind-bending physical feats. With only just the four of them, they cover pretty much all types of circus acts including juggling, tumbling, acrobatics, slapstick, magic, and some more unique combinations involving some modern props like a fitness ball.

Circa Curtain

Although on first thought, an hour isn’t really a long time for a show, I’m just amazed at how energised the entire hour felt and with the breadth of the performance, I’m sure that everyone walked out of there extremely satisfied. Of course with so much pressure on the performers, some of the acts didn’t quite go according to plan and given their format, you at least knew that particular act would draw to a close very quickly.

Definitely go and see these guys, if for nothing else but a light hearted evening. It’s an hour of your life you’ll definitely appreciate.

TheKua.com Rating: 9 out of 10

A weekend in Calgary at last

Patrick Canada

With all the snow around, it’s been my first actual weekend I’ve got to stay in Calgary. Next week I’m off to Vancouver so I thought it was about time to head off to the Calgary Farmer’s Markets. Located out of downtown, it was the first time I had to actually use the public transport. Other than a website that wasn’t working, the whole system seems pretty efficient with more buses than trains covering greater areas. All stops even have a service number you can call that will tell you exactly how many minutes away the next bus will be. It only cost CAN$2.50 for a ticket and a transfer gives you 90 minutes to hop on and off, or return in that period.

Calgary Farmers Markets

To say that the markets were crowded would’ve been an understatement and even though it’s in a large warehouse, they could definitely use some more space. It’s nice to see local and, some organic, produce. I really enjoyed seeing the different types of Canadian products, including lots of items involving maple syrup, lots of local pork and beef, and bison of all things! I couldn’t resist and buy some bison sausages for later in the week. Asking the chap for any specific instructions, he just said avoid poking them like normal sausages as bison is naturally lean and would end up all dry. I’ll definitely report on it when I get a chance to grill them on my BBQ outside.

Princes Island Park

Other than that, I wandered around even more around town, heading out to Kensington for a brunch on Sunday and taking my new inline skates for a spin on Prince’s Island paths, where the last remaining snow continued to melt away. Calgary definitely has an out door lifestyle and I continue to be impressed by how much sunlight you get.

Mmmm…. Coffee

Patrick Canada

Whilst I enjoy the morning walks to different coffee stores around Calgary, sometimes I just don’t have enough time to be able to go out and find it. More than that, I feel like I’m missing out or I can’t really judge baristas until I can make a decent cup of joe myself. So here it is…

Espresso Maker

My new coffee machine. It’s a perfect size for two cups of coffee. The next size up was the six cup and although that’d be much more social, realistically it would be far too much coffee for a single person.

Wahaca

Patrick Food, Restaurants, UK Life

London always has its underground surprises and Wahaca is one of those best found by those wanting a little less Tex and a little bit more Mex in their foods. I’m not sure how long it’s been open for, with its brightly blue coloured walls at least giving it a newish appearance.

This restaurant has a strict non-booking policy and given its spacious dining area seems to be able to accommodate smaller tables of two to four. I’d definitely recommend arriving much earlier if you’re part of a larger party.

Dining is relatively informal with your placemat reminiscintly wagamama-styled except this time the entire menu is on the placement. Ordering feels almost overwhelming and I’m glad you can choose to either order full dishes, or tapas “street” style, both working well for groups of any size.

It feels like almost anything you would want out of a Mexican restaurant is there and more. Full of exceptionally fresh flavours and with some dishes having that additional kick, Wahaca does not disappoint. Even in the drinks department, they offer plenty of choice and serve other Mexican alternatives to the standard Corona export.

Definitely a gem that easily missed in the wealth of options in the area, Wahaca offers fresh, tasty Mexican food at reasonable prices. Definitely try the extremely tender Pork Pibil dish though watch out for the chilli that’s likely to literally knock your socks off!

Details: Wahaca
Found at: 66 Chandos Place, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HG
Contactable on: +44 (0) 207 240 1883
Highlights: A hidden gem offering tasty plates of super tasty Mexican food that will make you regret ever declaring all Mexican food is bland
Room for improvement: It’d be nice if they accepted bookings for larger groups, limited to a certain number of course.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

Making Sense

Patrick Annoyances, Canada, Travel

Is it me, or does everyone also struggle to find the right coin combination for exact change, with the usual result a quick draw from the wallet to find a note for payment instead?

Canadian Coins

Strangely I don’t have any problems with money from the US, yet when I find myself in front of a cashier, the hunt for Canadian quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies is a stressful event. Like the US, it also doesn’t help that tax is also added at the cashier, making any prior preparation a fruitless endeavour.

I’m sure that by the time I leave, I’ll have worked out the system. Until then, it’ll be a handful of change and a cheeky smile to tide me over.

Where in the world is… TheKua?

Patrick Canada, Travel, UK Life

It’s been a bit of whirlwind trip, and despite the posts around Calgary, I did, indeed, spend just over a week in the UK for a conference. I had registered for this specific conference late last year thinking it would be a breeze to get to from London, ironically ending up in another part of the world. I had plenty of fun (see the conference report here if you want) and they even made time for a networking trip where we indulged in the small bit of sunny weather.

King Arthurs Grave

I went along to Glastonbury and then Wells where we had a brilliant time walking around town, taking in the unique atmosphere of both towns. Having the sun out for the entire day definitely made up for the rest of the classically dreary overcast skies for the rest of the trip. I found it surprisingly cold as well for London, having left Calgary at a comfortable 20 degrees celcius.

Unfortunately I had little time to really do that much in London other than pack, unpack, catch up for a quick meal with my flatmates and my sister, and head out to the conference and back again. It really was a fleeting visit and before I knew it, I was on the plane back “home”.