Pizza & Chats At Banana Leaf In Nadi, Fiji 🇫🇯 (The Drug Problem in Fiji)
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
Intro
Following a sensational time going on an ATV tour with Go Dirty Tours in Nadi, I was beginning to get hungry. Heck, I actually hadn't eaten in about 24 hours before my Fiji Airways flight, so I decided to head to the closest restaurant I could find to me: Banana Leaf.
What I thought would just be pizza turned into something much more...
Lunch!
Walking the mere 200 meters from Go Dirty Tours, I arrived at this small Indian restaurant by the name of Banana Leaf. Usually, I would never go to an Indian restaurant, and not because I don't like the food, but because I can't eat a lot of the food (allergies, yeah, you have permission to call me a melon). However, online, I had read that the place not only had pizza, but they had beer. As an American, what more could you want? 😅
Anyways, once I arrived around 11:30 am, I was greeted by a lovely man who was from India. Now, for those unaware, Fiji and India have a long history that is intertwined.
Between 1879 and 1915, many people from India were brought to Fiji by the British
The people primarily worked on sugarcane plantations
When their work was done, many decided to stay in Fiji, so 35% of the Fijian population (900K) is made up of Indo-Fijians now.
Well, anyways, I sat down and began working on my blog (yes, it is Wix, I am busted), enjoying my beer, when the manager of the restaurant came up to me and began chatting.
He mentioned that he was from India, and had recently moved here about 5 years ago for work. Seeing as India is so interesting to me as a country, we began getting into this long, long chat. He's such a nice man, honestly, and he told me about how life in Fiji is quite expensive, and informed me of the dark side to Fiji as well.
See, a lot of people think of Fiji as these beautiful islands that are all about relaxation, but it's not only that. Fiji is often used as a transit point for drug trafficking, and there is a huge drug problem in the country (not that tourists will ever really see it). It's quite interesting when you dive into a country and learn about it from the people who are willing to show the good and the bad, not just the good. Prime example: Bhutan 🇧🇹
Anyways, as I waited for my pizza (15 USD) and another beer (5 USD), we began chatting about the IPL. Now, I might not be able to solve an 11th-grade math problem, but I am fluent in the international languages: sports, alcohol, and laughing 😝.
Even when I was eating, he offered to let me eat in peace, but we continued to chat. He mentioned to me that he wanted to start a part-time business for tourism, so we brainstormed some ideas. You know when you just get along with someone the second you meet them, and that is exactly what happened here.
The moral of the story here: open yourself to others around you. It's when we have an open heart that we find the beauty in the smaller interactions ❤️.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a good pizza/Indian spot in Nadi, Fiji, please check out Banana Leaf. I am not sponsored by anyone (heck, I am anti-sponsor), but the lunch I had here is ingrained into my memory. The manager working there is a really kind man, and make sure to ask about him, as he will tell you more truth about Fiji than most people will at a hotel.
And yeah, the pizza and beer hit the spot perfectly. Great, now I want a pizza and a beer while writing this, and it's 10 am in the morning 😅.
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