Searching for the perfect Beach

I rode off on a hot summer day to search for the perfect beach. There are many places in our chain of lakes to stop off for a dip, but few lack the milfoil or crowds to be considered a perfect beach. There needed to be some people though. An empty beach can be nice, but people watching is one of the best parts of a beach visit. Too many people though and it looses all serenity of being close to a body of water. I eliminated Lake Calhoun from my search. As much as I do love seeing half the female population of Minneapolis nearly naked, I wanted to write and this would prove too distracting. So I headed North, to the Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. The first didn't seem to have any beaches, but was gorgeous and deserted. Being only three feet from Lake Calhoun, it confuses me that it is not more crowded.

It took me a while to even find Cedar Lake, since I took the wrong trail and ended up near downtown. Cedar Lake, once I found it, was lovely. The trails were only paved in sections and it seemed quite secluded, despite being in a pocket between a series of highway interchanges. The first beach I came to was the East Beach, but it seemed just like Calhoun with some trees. I biked around for a while, passing hidden lagoons that were already discovered by earlier riders. Finally, I came across the type of beach for which I was searching. Cedar Point beach. I don't know if this is the perfect beach in Minneapolis, but I was craving a dip in the lake after eight miles of random biking in the hot June sun.

The water was cold and relatively clean. There was plenty of room for sitting, yet enough people around to provide a city ambience. From the point, I could see at least three other beaches that also looked relaxing. There is the legendary Hidden Beach, the hippie hang famous for its joint circles and topless sunbathing. (Post journal note: Hidden Beach is not so hidden anymore. The aforementioned East Beach is Hidden Beach.) To explore the other beaches, I'll just have to spend more days in the sun, reading, writing, swimming and people watching, much like I did for months in Australia. Maybe "home" is a cooler place than I originally realized.

Annapurna Circut vs. Everest Base Camp

I'm in the current process of planning my trip to Asia. One of the main highlights and primary reason for going is to see the Himalayas in one of Nepal's spectacular treks. Since this is only going to be a portion of a longer trip, bringing larges amounts of trekking gear is silly. This will thankfully not be a problem because of the highly developed trekking infrastructure of Nepal. With most of the most popular treks going through either small villages or lodge towns, there is indoor accommodation and food for the entire time. This is called "teahouse trekking"; though not as rustic, it is easier and safer since I'll be in the Himalayas.

I'm am stuck between the two most popular treks, the Annapurna Circut Trek or the Everest Base Camp Trek. Both are ranked among the worlds best walks. My research shows that Annapurna has better scenery and is more of cultural experience since it goes through so many villages. The Everest hike is also very scenic and climaxes with a view of the world's highest mountain.

Whichever one I do, I need to start training now, that means at least 30 minutes of cardio a day, which is not too bad of deal; it'll get me in better shape and get me outside.

Music Mondays: The XX

It has been a while since I've posted any music Monday entry (or much of anything on this site.) Much of this is the result of my usual monday day off becoming a regular monday day shift. Well, with another changing of my schedule, I'm sitting here during the day on Monday, listening to the group I am about to review and thinking to myself, "by golly, I should do the music mondays again....yep. here it is.

The XX - The XX

I accepted years ago that rock was dead. The only bands that seemed to do anything new were the veterans of the world. With each single by Panic at the Disco!, a part of me died. Nobody was doing anything new. Well, then I picked up this album at Target (thanks to a recommendation by Brant). The XX is a fantastic debut by a group that will be setting the tone for the rock music of the next few years. Rock seems to accepted that it has eaten itself. The XX is one of the many new groups leading the way in a "new" sound. Rock is softer, subtler, spacier now. This album shines with thoughtful songwriting, with a ear for pop, without being pop. The guitars fill in a few well place notes here and there. The rest of the sound is dominated by gentle electronic touches, with little snippets of R&B, hip-hop, 80's pop, and club music. All the songs float along gently, with much of the power coming from the trade off vocals of the male and female singers of the group.

The album starts strong with the instrumental "Intro" which was apparently used in some commercial I never saw. It continues off the tracks momentum until breaking down mid-album into the dreamy doldrums of post-post-rock. The album ends with three great pop songs. It stands as something different and rehashed at the same time. New ideas in rock don't exist, but this comes close to being something new.

A more sensible, revised plan

When looking back at my original plan, I realized I wasn't thinking too clearly. First off, to do a trip like that, I would have to have a very scripted itinerary with little leeway for relaxing, emergency plan changes, and other necessary precautions for world travel. It would have been expensive and doable, but I don't think I would have enjoyed the trip much. Too much structure kills the very nature of traveling, i would be essentially taking a long vacation.

So I started again and formed a revised, more sensible plan. Round trip tickets to Beijing are about the same price as a round trip ticket to London (go fig), so this is where I will start. First, I will tour the mountains of Northern China for a few days, see the great wall, the forbidden kingdom, and those other popular sights that make Beijing the top tourist destination in China.

Then I will ignore any political debates about China's occupation of Tibet and take a ride on the world's highest train to Lhasa. I will kick around the area, see some temples, then join a week long Friendship Highway tour to Kathmandu. Nepal contains some of the most established trekking infrastructure in the world, so there will be some hiking in the Himalayas.

Then on to Sikkim, one of India's smallest, yet arguably most beautiful states. This will be followed by three weeks in Northern India, which will include a stop at the Taj Mahal and golden Temple in Armistar. (Essentials).

Next, a plane will take me from Delhi to Thailand, where I will visit Nat, hike in the mountains then spends some weeks regaining my stamina on the worlds' prettiest beaches. A bus or train will take me from Thailand to Vietnam through either Cambodia or Laos (I don't plan to spend much time in either country). I will do some temple touring in Vietnam, then back to china to visit Fai in Hong Kong.

Next, I will travel up the coast of china then take a ferry to Taiwan to visit Ray. Then back to China, back to Beijing and home.

This sounds much more enjoyable.

Here is a map of my plan. Blue is boat, red is plane, green is train or bus.