North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii

ALOHA!!!!!

     I step off the plane and the sweet scent of plumeria and tuberose flowers dazzle my olfactory glands. I am greeted by warm tropical breeze and that familiar Aloha spirit. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and Bam!! I get "Leid"!!!!...I must be in paradise. 

    The first leg of this Hawaiian journey starts in The North Shore of Oahu with a visit to my best friend Lyndee's home. She has chickens..and roosters...lot's of them...but I'll get to those later...
The North Shore of Oahu is a  famous destination for surfers all over the world and is known for its gnarly winter swells that can sometimes reach over 50 feet in height. As most of you know, I am not a surfer. Actually, I look at those swells and my stomach does silly little back flips. However,  Lyndee is an extraordinary lil' surfer girl and took me to my very first professional surf competition.

     It just happened to be The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which is the second largest and most prestigious surfing competition in the world .Should I be embarrassed that I have never heard of this competition before?? Of course not! I live in Chicago for crying out loud. Now ask me where you can find the worlds largest beer pong competition and I may be able to help you with that...

I don't think this guy is competing

  Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap any jaw-dropping photos of the surfers in action  (I was too busy looking at eye candy onshore...see left.), but if you're interested, there are some outstanding pics and more info on their website. http://www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/
    It's always nice to travel like a local, with a local. We pulverized killer burritos as big as our heads, devoured fresh ahi poke (which is my favorite Hawaiian treat), cruised to "Pipeline" to watch some more epic surfing, and decided to finish off our evening like a couple of old broads...We cooked a healthy dinner and were asleep by 9pm.... Wow...Am I growing up or becoming a total bore??? Don't worry, this is only the beginning of a very long journey..There will be plenty of naughty and much more entertaining stories to come, and that is a promise.
     Lyndee lives in a Geodesic "Dome Home" (which actually used to house a sex cult) on an acre of land. She grows a variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs and is self-sustaining. She owns and runs an exceedingly successful local vegan raw organic food company called Divine Living. She makes delectable healthy treats for seven stores in the Hawaiian Islands, is at several of the local farmers markets, and donates a variety of healthy snacks to local schools for snack time, offering a much healthier option for the Keiki (kids) of the North Shore. Yup. She's pretty awesome. Check her out at http://www.divinelivingoll.com/

                         Oh yeah...how could I forget about her adorable little 4 lb pooch named Viola and those chickens and roosters!!! They like to chase me. It's kinda creepy...

Signing off- The Savvy Nomad

San Diego, CA 11/9/2012

First stop...San Diego!! November 9-12, 2012

" Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in, it always goes down smooth. Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diago, which of course in German means "a whale's vagina"

- Ron Burgundy, Anchorman

     San Diego is known for it's beautiful beaches, stunning topography, perfect weather, and an impressive variety of things to do and see. However, San Diego has yet to put herself on the map as a culinary destination, but judging by the deliciously scrumptious and oh-so gluttonous meals we devoured whilst here, she may be well on her way. It all began one very early Friday morning...
     After a seemingly endless morning of travel and a supremely aggravating experience with a rental car company that obviously had no clue what was going on with reality, Ken and I were finally on the road. We were "hangry" (hungry meets angry...a deadly combination) and ready for some good eats and crispy cool suds to wet our palate.What better a place to satiate our needs than Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens located in Escondido, CA. We both heard excellent things about Stone, but nothing prepared us for the sheer extravagance of this place.  
  It. Was. Awesome. 

      We were given the royal treatment and even got a private tour of the facility. The open air patio fully equipped with fire pits and a one acre meticulously landscaped organic beer garden was impressive, but the eclectic menu and outstanding beer sealed the deal. I'm going to let the picture speak for itself.  My mouth is salivating at the memory of this sandwich. Aged beer cheddar BLT with arugula and bruschetta, paired with Stone's 14th Anniversary Imperial Double IPA. One word...Heaven.
    I absolutely love San Diego and when Ken and I decided to take a romantic weekend trip here I was overjoyed. I lived in San Diego for many years and it was my pleasure to show him some of my favorite spots. It truly is a magical city and it doesn't matter which way you turn your head...you will be aesthetically pleased.

 From the scenic drive down the coast from Del Mar to Pacific Beach, to the exploring of tidal pools on Sunset Cliffs in Ocean beach, walking hand in hand at La Jolla Cove, to the grubbing of the best fish tacos in the world (in my opinion) at South Beach Tacos, we simply had a blast.
It was a perfect way to kick off a 4 month trek around the globe. As I now get ready for the next leg of the journey, I can close my eyes and smell the sweet saltiness of the Pacific and remember how truly amazing San Diego is.

Signing off- The Savvy Nomad.

 Oh, one more thing...One of the only downfalls to this trip was watching the Chicago Bears lose to Houston...it was pitiful, but enough about that...