If you're interested in going to Fiji or gearing up for a trip... leave your watch at home. You’ll be on Fiji Time, baby! And by Fiji Time, I don’t just mean time to perfect your sun tan, snooze on the sand, and show off your newest bikini.
Fiji Time is about slowing down! It’s about taking your shoes off (and I don’t mean figuratively), sipping Kava with the locals, watching sunsets with a Fiji Bitter, and diving into the most perfectly crystal ocean you’ve ever seen. It’s difficult at first, especially when you’re used to hustling to beat the rush hour traffic and maximize work hours in your Outlook Calendar. We all could use a break!

In my first few days on the islands, I was constantly battling this new pace of life. I kept looking to my Lonely Planet book for what would come next, trying to pack in as many activities as possible. Even while lying on the beach, I struggled with the accumulating layers of sand caking on my body and the nasty wet flip-flops that reeked of seawater. Arg! I hated my constant state of grubbiness.

Somewhere between day two and three of my Fijian adventure, though, I finally embraced life on Fiji Time. I threw away my tennis shoes. I traded in real clothing for my multi-purpose sarong and I used the daily meal-time drum beats to tell time. Once I’d tanned my skin to the appropriate color I was practically an islander. Now I just needed to learn Fijian. BULA!