Swells and Sand

 

 

All I needed was a comp day at work and off I went. It was time to catch a glimpse of the final leg of the Triple Crown of Surfing at Banzai Pipeline in the North Shore for the Billabong Pipe Masters.

I was on the road before sunrise. Relaxing on the beach with a book until the morning call time. First up was Kelly Slater. It wasn't long before I witnessed the perfect 10. The waves were anywhere from six to ten feet.

After catching Joel Parkinson's win I headed into town. I stopped by Matsumo Grocery for some of their infamous shaved ice.

It was a great start to another Hawaiian weekend.

Let's Get Festive

It's officially December.

The holidays have always been my favorite time of year.

Cookie swaps. Loved ones. Stamped wrapping paper. Twinkle lights. Claymation Movie Marathons. Elf on a Shelf.

There is something about this time of year that just gets me feeling festive. Maybe it's the cheery holiday music I have been playing all week at work.

I kicked off the holidays with the Yelp Holiday Hoopla Event. Then it was movies in Waikiki on the beach during sunset. Believe it or not it was the first time I have seen Casablanca.

 

Mele Kalikimaka. Here are a few of my favorite links:

 

christmas cheer.

 

DIY christmas gifts.

 

headed to the north shore in a few weeks.

 

holiday cards. 

 

iceland.

 

twinkle lights.



King of the Mountain

On Sunday I went with a hiking club to a popular trail on the windward side of the island. Mount Olomana is a 30-minute drive from my place in Kaimuki. It's a spectacular three peaked mountain that separates itself from the Koolau Ridge. Technically Olomana is the name of the highest of the three peaks and it has been called Oahu's Matterhon.

Legends say that Olomana was renowned warrior that was over 30 feet tall and ruled the lands from Makapu'u to Kualoa. The mountain was created when the King of Oahu sent one of his strongest warriors to confrom Olomona. The warrior, Palila sliced Olomana to creat the various peaks of Mount Olomona.

Despite my 4 days of trekking in Nepal, I think this was the most hands-on hike I have done. There were several parts that I had to climb with some assistance from ropes and cables, but we are told to use those at our own risk as they are not maintained. It involved climbing up and down ridges with drop-offs on both sides and I definitely wouldn't do this is rainy or really windy weather.

It took me about 4.5 hours from start to finish, but if offered some of the most amazing views of the island.

 

Arabian Oasis

 

So in June I planned an impromptu trip to Nepal to visit an old roommate from college. To get there from the US you're required to do an overnight layover in the UAI in Abu Dhabi. I tried to take advantage of the short amount of time I had their (literally less than 24 hours).

I think the most memorable part of the trip was visiting the mosque. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The Sheik Zayed Mosque is an amazing example of Islamic architecture and it is humongous. It's one of the largest mosques in the world (I think 6th largest to be exact). Supposedly it can fit 41,000 worshipers and its pure decadence with 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and reflective pools surrounding it.

Check out the short video below to see a bit of my trip. Apologizing in advance for my inability to keep my iphone from shaking :)

Abu Dhabi from Lindsey Keeler on Vimeo.

Marfa - Hammocks, Tents and Lame Galleries

If you know my sister Lauren and I, you know we love random towns, visiting off-the-map places, listening to "indie" music and pretty much anything odd or ecentric. This is exactly why we have always been drawn to visiting the West Texas town of Marfa. Population 1,981 the town is an old railroad stop that has become a tourist destination thanks to its classic Texan architecture, modern art at the Chinati Foundation and hip galleries around town. Plus you can't forget the Marfa lights.

Above is a short video, courtesy of the coolest person I know.

We stayed in a safari tent at the el cosmico. Seriously this is the coolest place to stay if you decide to venture near their neck of the desert. You can even rent out a teepee or a vintage trailer. Here are some of the places we stopped during our trip:

- Pizza Foundation is located in an old auto repair shop and they offer the freshest pizza

- The Get Go despite it being the place I fried my iPad (RIP) this was the perfect independent grocery store to stock up on items for a picnic in your hammock at el cosmico

- Fat Lyle's may have a name that makes it sound questionable but it offered the tastiest food we had all weekend

- Planet Marfa is probably the oddest yet most amazing beer garden we went to. Words can't quite describe it.

- Moonlight Gemstones specialized in West Texas agates (AKA a type of gemstone).

- Museum of Electric Wonders & Late Night Grilled Cheese: so we didn't really get to go here because they are only open certain nights of the week but we heard people had some pretty epic memories thanks to this cheese and bread establishment

Turkey Trot...that Never Ends

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Everyone!

I wasn't sure I would really be celebrating thanksgiving this year since I am in a brand new city and still getting settled but it turned out to be one to remember. My office mate invited me to participate in the annual Turkey Trot that takes place close to where I live and I thought why not. But then I learned the truth. The fact was this wasn't just a little short 5K turkey trot to make you feel a little less guilty about that extra piece of pumpkin pie. Oh no. This was a 10-mile run that is held to help many Oahu locals prepare for the upcoming marathon. I don't think I have ran more than 4 miles at once in my life so I went into it with pretty low expectations of myself. Surprisingly I survived with no major disasters (just a pretty sore foot and a need for an afternoon nap) and I am happy now I can cross that off my bucket list.

I managed to finish the run in a little under 2 hours and 10 minutes. I think what helped pass the time was the breathtaking backdrop I had. We ran around Diamond Head along the coast where you could watch surfers catching waves and hear the sound of the ocean. Then for some reason I thought that wasn't enough so I met up with most of my co-workers for a quick set of tennis. I didn't feel so bad when it came time for Thanksgiving dinner.

My co-worker's parents have an amazing home in Diamond Head with spectacular views from their patio. We drank wine, ate til we couldn't eat anymore and plained Shuv-unda. Shuv-unda is basically pretty similar to a White Elephant. You pretty much grab junk from your house that you wouldn't mind getting rid of, put it in a fancy bag and then everyone gets a number and picks/swaps items. I left with a dinosaur monster truck and ingredients to make duck soup. Typical Shuv-unda I guess. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Cribs - Nepal Tea House Style

Every wonder what it's like to stay in a tea house while trekking through the Annapurna Region of Nepal. This is the product of us getting a little stir crazy in our humble abode while experiencing our four day trek from Pokhara through the mountains. Even if you're only visiting Nepal for a short time (I was just there for 9 days back in July of this year), I highly recommend spending at least two or three days to take part in a trek.

To trek in Nepal you have to simply get national perk entry tickets and the TIMS permit. We went through a trekking company that set this all up for us, but I heard it can be easily done on your own. In Nepal, it's popular to simply keeping hiking until you feel tired or have enough.

Local Nepali families have set up village inns, often called tea houses because the oldest of them started as tea shops where travelers could sleep on the floor. Honestly, that is what I was expecting to experience since I didn't know much about trekking in Nepal, but the accommodations were much nicer than I expected.

Most tea houses have less than reliable electricity but they will provide you with a candle and some matches. Plus, I had some of the best cooking of our trip at the different tea houses we stopped at. The Tibetan Bread is pretty amazing. We tended to order seconds or even thirds.

My one recommendation is bring hand sanitizer, a small flashlight and your own TP.