A conversation this past weekend with a guy who works at New Zealand All Natural Ice Cream in Nadi:
Me: "What time do you close?"
Ice Cream Guy: "9 p.m."
Me: "Every night?"
ICG: "Yes."
Me: "What about tonight?"
ICG: "Tonight? 8:30."
I later realised that my line of questioning is one that could only be asked by someone who has spent an extended amount of time in Fiji.
At 8:15, I arrived back at the ice cream place with my daughter and was met with a hand-scribbled note on the door:
"Back in 5 minutes!"
20 minutes later, we sat waiting still. Two taxis came by and left disappointed as did a group of tourists.
I'll never truly get used to these experiences in Fiji. Yeah..yeah...call it "Fiji time" and move on. Sometimes I can. Sometimes, I can't.
"Slow" as "Fiji time" is accepted by most people and can be a quaint part of travel here.
"Inefficient" as "Fiji time", is not.
There is a difference between the two and the desirability of Fiji as a destination hangs in the balance. It's definitely one of the biggest challenges the country faces.
