missroserose | More stuff I've learned in Hawai'i

Snorkeling is fun, especially when you find a super-tucked-away-beach where sea turtles hang out.
White jets with the Rising Sun logo on the tail? Not commercial airliners, from Japan or otherwise.
The Emperor of Japan takes up an entire lane of traffic with his blockade, which, given that the "highway" on the Big Island is pretty much one lane each way, tends to cause some delay. Which isn't to say that I wouldn't do the same, if I were him. It's the modern-day equivalent of having your steward go ahead with a large stick to bash the lower classes out of the way.
The local sore point about Kona having all the population while Hilo has all the money? So not a joke. Hilo's the county seat with all the tax money, and their roads are plentiful and freshly paved and lined with reflectors. Kona's roads are noticeably worn, crowded, and almost impassable in places. The most stark contrast is on the Saddle Road that runs roughly straight across the island; the half that's on the east side of the island is beautifully kept up and parts of it are recently rebuilt to federal highway standards - and then, approximately five feet after the "Now entering South Kohala County" sign, it becomes some of the narrowest and roughest road I've ever seen (and I'm from Alaska). Crazy stuff. (To be fair, it looks like there are further plans to rebuild it - Wikipedia tells me that the crumbling section was built as a military access road circa 1942 and never properly upgraded to civilian standards.)
Roads built over lava flows are rather fun to drive on, if you're not prone to nausea. Up and down and up and down and up and down...
The best truck stop burger you will ever have comes from Tex's, on the north part of the island. Fresh malasadas too!
Shaking calf muscles and the prospect of sore legs the next day shouldn't stop you from making the hike down the mountain to the beach at Pololu Valley. It's probably one of the most beautiful places on Planet Earth.
While the small bright yellow birds that are everywhere might seem like they'd stand out against the blues and greens of the island, they actually blend in quite well sitting on the ground - they're the exact same color as dead leaves.
Everyone is cheerful here. It might have to do with the geckos - they're everywhere, and they're supposed to be good luck. I suppose I'd be cheerful too if I was constantly having good luck. Come to think of it, I probably am.
I've lived in Alaska my whole life, where the sun comes up and goes down at all sorts of odd hours. But I've never had trouble sleeping...until I visit a place where the sun goes down promptly at 7:00 every night. Go figure.

More to come, I'm sure.