First Impressions (10 things)

[Carey]

Hey there are, like, a handful of nice marked police vehicles here...still...until they all break down...

Glad you have found the joys of the farmers markets... I am not one to barter, but have noticed that when you frequent a seller, esp later in the day, usually there are extras tucked in...

Roosters are great in red wine (either you drink enough, or marinate the rooster, which ever gets you through the night ;~)

Lines at both the DMV & PO move much more quickly nearer to the end of the day, than at the beginning, & esp than at lunch time! Talk story goes out & efficiency reigns when it is closer to closing up! But earlier is best for getting the scoop on sooo much of what is happing around the islands... course you still will wait forever for the actual license or mailbox or...

& fix it was pretty much the only way until things like big boxes & Amazon Prime!

[DTisme]

Welcome to Puna!! Here's my 6-cents...

1. Avoid the crowds at Maku'u and go to the marketplace across from Foodland (kitty corner from McD's) in Keaau. Produce stands open all days of the week and nice folks. But if you go there, you'll miss the green papaya salad, talking story with the neighbors, and the live music of Maku'u. (go early when it's not so crowded btw)

2. You WILL, eventually, not hear the roosters. It's like having kids. Eventually, you don't hear them scream anymore.

3. Sharwil avos are my favorite. Malamas great, too. The big-ass ones - # of varieties - tend to be stringy and have no taste (imo)

4. Beware the weird Yield signs at right-hand turns. Your body habit will be that the car on the highway turning right has the right-of-way to cars turning left. Not so, say, on 130 at Maku'u or, most notably the entrance into Pahoa going south - where the right turners are to yield to the left turners. It has caused many an accident and I think it's ridiculous bc there is no rhyme or reason where these are. Same situation elsewhere (left turn lane on the highway, etc), no yield sign. If you are in that left-turn lane, wait a sec to make sure the guy is going to yield for you. 50% of the time he isn't. (in my experience)

5. You are right about each store being good for something different. Believe it or not, Target has some local produce (it's behind the Walmart). I get my lettuce and cukes there. Many food products (esp. frozen) that are in Safeway or Foodland or KTA are up to 50% less at Target, then another 5% off if you have a Target card. I notice it on brand-names esp. Best Foods mayo at Foodland: $6.50; Best Foods mayo at Target: $3.69. Other than that, you will find the prices start to look normal. (Altho $6.50 for a jar of mayo will never look normal to me.)

Enjoy the ride. Loved the video.

6. Half the time people coming off of lateral roads onto larger roads (like onto Alii or Maku'u or Paradise), don't stop, they just go.

7. First 5 or so days of the month are extra crowded at Walmart, etc. bc the monthly checks come in.

[Guest]

Went to Keaau market today but realized I didn't have CASH, so had to go to Foodland.

I came from Florida HISomeday, so weather here in Puna is a little cooler and less humid.

Ill check target out, at this point I'm giving everything a try.

[Carey]

For produce, Safeway has $5 bins of organic baby greens MANY Fridays (though it seems to run counter to payday Fridays & first week of the month Fridays...maybe to encourage off pay week sales?...naw...that would not be it!)

Also be very aware of those merge lanes (esp from Kilaeua S onto HWY11 & the Old Volcano from Keaau town merge onto HWY11) cannot tell you how many times the car in front of you comes to a complete stop... to watch the traffic go by!

[shave_ice]

This is probably a nationwide thing, but I'd never really noticed it before moving to Big Island. Even on Oahu I never really noticed, but if someone flashes their headlights at you, it means there are cops ahead. I don't even drive that much, but this happens to me a lot. So a big aloha and thank you to those who do this. Not that I really speed much, but I always check my speed when someone flashes at me. Even though I know what this means now, I still get paranoid at first that something is wrong with my car until I see a cop hiding along side the road.

[Hunt Stoddard]

Never miss an opportunity to remind people: Here it seems to be legal to drive with your parking lights on, and people do it with reckless abandon. You will find people driving into the nighttime hours with only parking lights on and nearly invisible. Beware.

[TomK]

Hunt - let me be more blunt. Many people here drive into the night time hours with no lights on at all. Whenever I turn left into HPP from Hwy 130 when it's dark I always stop even when it looks clear to turn and make sure I don't have some dark shadow speeding towards me.

[cwoods61]

Twilight is very short at these latitudes. If it will get dark before you reach your destination, just turn your lights on when you start your trip. I saw at least 5 cars with headlights off after dark tonight on 130.

[Mimosa]

We tried to find the place you are currently staying yesterday,but in our old age we had forgotten.
On the weird driving rules here,yes police drive their own vehicles as a general rule,but they do have some Blue n Whites now as a fleet experiment .
Yes unmarked is more common,and then we all know when shift change happens so never any police on the roads during those 1/2 hour time slots 3 times a 24 hour time span.
During day light hours turn signals are not a requirement.
Always assume someone will NOT yield or not see you or both,many times at night,no headlights or just the running lights are on.
Just assume that someone will run a red light,so when you get the green,wait that half second before going through intersection.
The 1st week or two of any month all costs at stores go up,as every one gets their checks.Always shop on coupon sales or have each stores card for the discounted prices.We have noticed that,that the coupon books that come out now at beginning of month,the coupons are actually higher in price than the regular discounted price by the 3rd week of any month.
Watch the ad's and coupons and notice that every 5 or 6 weeks the rotation of discount items renews itself.Stock up at that time or do without.
Yes cash is king,plastic only in emergency or to get miles on your mileage plus card.
Never buy avo's at foodland or any grocery store.
Getting a P.O.Box- get on the waiting list at-at least several post offices.
Could be a few months or a few years.
Each store has certain food items that are constant cheaper than the other one.
Cash yes,plastic,not so much.
We keep a small box buried in a pile of dirty diapers totally encapsulated in a sealed container in back of the truck that has ones in it.
No body will go through stink old baby diapers to look for our one dollar bills,not even the cops at road blocks,just in case we need an extra 100$ , we know where it is and have it handy just in case.
End of the day at any open air markets tend to get more items than beginning of the day,and always cash.

[kalakoa]

There are only so many unmarked HPD ... after a while, you will recognize the ones that patrol your area; in Puna, these are often 4Runner or FJ Cruiser.