4 March 2026
Bula, do not adjust your clocks, Fiji Time is a state of mind not a time difference for wherever you are located.
Bula is a greeting that you hear from everyone, road maintenance workers, domestic staff at the resort, the guy making your cocktail, the bus driver, the gardeners, everybody. It means hello, welcome or wishing you good health. You know you have arrived in Fiji when you hear bula.
We left home in pouring rain and arrived in Fiji to torrential rain and local floods. We were at the tail end of Cat 2 cyclone. The pilot would not let us leave the plane for 45 minute because of the weather but you’re on Fiji Time so it doesn’t matter.
You may be familiar with the Spanish word Mañana which translates to tomorrow or maybe later or even an unspecified time in the future. Mañana however infers a sense of urgency far greater than conveyed by Fiji Time. It takes deliberate effort to adjust to Fiji Time but once there you feel a new sense of calm and relaxation, nothing will bother you and it will happen when it happens or it may never happen. Ahhhh.
I have discovered a new way of guessing the age of your aircraft. If the safety handout lists Game Boys and iPods as banned electronic devices you know the plane was built in an earlier decade.
The rain has stopped and we are now enjoying warm and humid days by the pool. The cocktails come without little umbrellas but they do contain pieces of fruit so they must be good for you.
And so we continue in Fiji Time and tomorrow will involve more pool time…..
A Traveller's Tale 