Day 205 Bula culture

The word bula is a Fijian word that the Lonely Planet Guide translates as meaning hello. For Fijians, the word appears to mean a lot more than that. Fijians have a reputation for friendliness. When you pass a Fijian walking down the street they look up, smile and often utter an almost explosive BULA which would seem to mean “Hello, how are you, welcome to my paradise and have a great day”. (Try saying it with a lot of force while smiling broadly. You will see the effect). I suspect this is one source of their reputation as it definitely exudes a friendliness that is unique. We saw the smiling greeting in Rarotonga but the Bula adds an additional emphasis.
The Indo-Fijians are a bit more reserved. Since they speak English and not Fijian, they simply say hello. That is good enough but they also lack the broad open smile that is characteristic of Fijians and Polynesians.
The Lonely Planet Guide says that Fiji is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the South Pacific. I cannot remember Fiji being on the top of people’s list in the U.S. and the percent of U.S. tourists seems to be a small minority. Lonely Planet is published in Australia so that may explain their perspective.