Dec 12 2019
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Strong like a Bull – Dung Beetle @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Fun fact, did you know that dung beetles are super heroes to the animal kingdom? Yeah, its true. It sounds gross and weird that such a little beetle that rolls poop for a living could actually be a super bug. These cuties actually help save the planet by rolling and eating other animals poop. Without them animal dung will take longer to decompose and release even more toxic gas into the atmosphere polluting the earth even faster. There are plenty of varieties of Dung Beetle Species around the globe. They can live and adapt to any environment on the planet, except on the poles believe it or not. Well I guess nothing can really survive there anyway. So don’t feel bad Mr Dung Beetle, I wouldn’t wanna live there either. Here are a few fun facts about Dung Beetles and their behavior: When the male Dung Beetle has a good ball of Dung the female will latch onto the ball while the male rolls her to a safe spot. Dung Beetle Females will lay their eggs in dung Balls and the whole family can feed off the dung for weeks to come (Depending on the size of ball and family) So in the dung Beetle world you can divide individuals into 3 categories – Rollers, tunnelers and Dwellers. Dung Beetles have a great sense of smell. Most of the Dung Beetles will rather find Herbivore dung than Carnivore Dung. The Dung Beetle Species belongs to the Scarabaeoidea Family. Dung Beetles are one of the few beetles that will actually care for their young till adulthood. Dung Beetles can push up to 50 times their weight.

Dec 10 2019
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Sodwana Bay Traffic @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

For those of you that are wondering if there is a lot of traffic in Sodwana Bay. The answer is NO!!!! OK, except the peak season, the main town – Mbazwana and maybe at the beach gate can get a bit congested. Outside of that the only traffic you will be getting is your local rural animals. We have goats, chickens and most probably the biggest farm animal available in Sodwana is the Nguni Cattle! The Nguni’s are indigenous to Southern Africa . They are a medium sized cow breed that have been bread between american cows and later on European cows and eventually mixing with South African breads that we now call the Nguni cows. Honestly in my opinion these are one of the most beautiful cow breeds I have ever seen. They are great for milking, slaughtering for meat and overall just mowing your lawn for you. They are actually a great help keeping the tall grass at bay. They have a diversity of colors: some are completely black, some look like the milking cows (black and white), we have even seen the cutest little brown and white calf that looks almost like our little Jack Russel. Some of them can look like the Brahman cow, the white – grayish speckled kind. If you do happen to encounter a herd on the road from a safe short distance start litely hooting in short bursts usually this signals them to move. Try not to startle them to much otherwise you might have a stampede on your hands.

Dec 09 2019
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Going Old School @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Living off grid is amazing, especially when living out in the middle of nowhere. You never have to worry about paying electrical or water bills but you do have to settle for less luxuries. Also you learn to be more self reliant, as it is not always possible to go to the grocery store every time you forget something. I have been doing that a lot lately. Another thing we needed to get use to is our hot water system. I know what you thinking, how hard can hot water be to get in the house, why would we need to get use to that? Well our hot water system is a little different to what we city dwellers are use too! Well our house is a little different… We use a “Donkey” – our water heating system uses fire, yes you read right fire! Most people might not know this but before electrical and gas geysers were invented our ancestors used a type of chimney or drum water heating system. Basically its a little chimney attached to your house and hot water pipes like a fireplace to heat up your water. So, instead of waiting for your geyser to warm up you have to go make a fire outside and wait for it to warm your pipes and bob’s your uncle you have a nice warm shower. The first couple of days we were here was a nightmare, the water was freezing cause we couldn’t figure out how the hot water system worked around here. All we knew was we didn’t have a geyser. But that experience at the end of the day gave us so much more appreciation for the hot water that we can enjoy now. Don’t get me wrong we LOVE this new experience!

Dec 09 2019
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Online WATER Sports Shop…

By Sodwana Bay

Water Sports Direct www.watersportdirect.co.za WatersportDirect Hey guys, WatersportDirect offers a simple, safe and convenient way to shop for all your Marine and Boating equipment online. Plus point + SECURE online payment via trusted Payfast & door to door delivery. They specialize in boating equipment and more from the comfort of your home – no standing in lines! Place your orders online or call them direct. As they been in the industry for many years they will and can assist you with any purchase order and If you cannot find a product on their site they can find it for you – no hassles to you! We also offer the following: ∙∙ Inland and coastal skipper training ∙∙ Annual vessel surveys for your boat certificate of fitness ∙∙ VHF radio operator courses (SRC)    

Dec 05 2019
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Were homeless?! – Abandoned Dogs @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

We recently relocated to Sodwana Bay (if you wanna read)… Might it be a blessing in disguise that we found 2 abandoned pups at our new home close to Sibaya Lake.  Commonly known as AfriCanis, these are special Indigenous South African dogs specifically well adapted to hunting. We are so grateful for all the kind hearted people who could help these amazing dogs survive and who tried so hard to find them a good home. Unfortunately, these pups have not really been humanized like we are use to. Basic training was also thrown out the window for these pups, luckily they are still young enough to be trained and at least get some kind of house training. Sometimes it feels like we have three little kids in the house that you constantly need to stop from eating the wrong stuff or try depleting their energy levels so that you can have some peace and quiet. But hey that’s the price you pay being an animal lover. But I would never trade it for the world. Our family has grown with 2 extra which makes the world 2 x extra exciting and worth living. More about the breed: Although the world does not classify this dog as a real breed, I think most South Africans will make a special exception for these extraordinary dogs. They are one of a kind special breed. Internet short version of these dogs: Africanis. Not recognized as a standardized breed by any major kennel club. The Africanis is a landrace of Southern African dogs. It is believed to be of ancient origin, directly descended from hounds and pariah dogs of ancient Africa, introduced into the Nile Valley from the Levant. Pics Below of our new family members: We are proud to introduce you to Female (Left) and Male (Right) ***Just a small word of advice. Don’t ever get a pet because you think its cute as a baby. There is plenty of research to be done on the internet to tell you exactly what you will be getting yourself into before getting a pet. Don’t get a pet that you might abandon when they grow up or you finally get bored of it or have to move!