Riverbend Crocodile Farm

A few weeks ago my family and I made our way to KZN to attend a family wedding. It was also a perfect opportunity for us to spend a few days at our holiday home in the picturesque coastal town of Margate. During our short trip we visited the Riverbend Crocodile farm located in Southbroom. This crocodile sanctuary was officially opened in 1981 with a few crocodiles obtained from a farm near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Today, the farm is home to over 200 Nile crocodiles. Almost every year 5000 hatchling crocodiles are produced.

When we entered the Riverbend Crocodile farm, we were taken aback by the sheer beauty and serenity of the farm as a whole. We were just in time for the very informative snake and crocodile educational program followed by a crocodile feeding demonstration. The owner of the farm is really passionate about his crocodiles and wildlife in general and so undoubtedly he is a fountain of knowledge and truly and expert  in his field. I was quite surprised to learn that crocodiles do not really eat during the winter months. They require high temperatures to assist them in digesting and metabolizing their food. At the time that we visited the farm, the crocodiles were being fed 3kg of chicken every ten days only.It is also interesting to note that the sex of a crocodile is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature, where at 30 °C (86 °F) or less most hatchlings are females and at 31 °C (88 °F), offspring are of both sexes. A temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) to 33 °C (91 °F) gives mostly males whereas above 33 °C (91 °F) in some species continues to give males but in other species resulting in females, which are sometimes called as high-temperature females.

The Riverbend Crocodile farm also boasts a snake house that is home to some of Africa's most deadliest snakes. Other facilities include a fully kitted conference center and curio shop. If you are one of those adventurous types wanting to try different cuisines, why don't you try some crocodile meat at the fully licensed crocodile cafe that specializes in crocodile dishes.... EEWWWW.... not for me....

There is also an Art and Wine gallery located on the premises. The Gallery displays a wide variety of original artworks and crafts by some of South Africa’s best artists. A fine collection of wines can also be found in a cellar in the Art Gallery. These are provided for sale to the public or for tasting.

If you are visiting the Margate area why don't you make your way to the Riverbend Crocodile Farm.
The farm is open daily, except on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
The crocodiles are fed at 15:00 every Sunday, shortly after a snake demonstration at 14:30 to educate the public about snakes and dispel a few myths.Crocodile hatching demonstrations take place in January and February and are not to be missed.

For more pictures, click on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/media_set?set=a.10152278221747782.1073741854.739292781&type=1

My creative side

Whilst cleaning out my cupboards I was quite amazed at the fact that mom had actually kept some of the gift cards and other art and craft items that I made during my schooling years a long time ago. I guess for her they were all items of sentimental value. It brought back so many good memories. The trinket boxes were made whilst I was in primary school.....

FANCY SALT IN YOUR CHAAI (TEA)

My initial experience with Kashmiri people occurred almost a decade ago during a family trip to India. Whilst walking through the older parts of New Delhi one chilly winter evening my family and I stumbled across a beautiful clothing boutique owned by a Kashmiri Family. The owner of the boutique uncle Muhammed Shafi Wani had taken an instant liking to me and had refused to take the money for the clothes I wanted to purchase. He gifted me with a beautiful Kashmiri embroidered waistcoat, shawl and jacket. I will never ever forget his sheer kindness and generosity. From that day onward he had considered me to be his adopted South African daughter. To this day we are still in contact and I do hope that I get an opportunity to visit his family home in Kashmir one day God willing.Whilst my adopted father begged us to have a meal at his home in Delhi, we were unable to due to time constraints and hence I did not get an opportunity of trying out Kashmiri cuisine. However, a few months ago I had the opportunity of visiting a Kashmiri family that resides in Kharj, a city located 77km south of Riyadh. The family cooked up a storm for lunch preparing an assortment of savouries as an appetizer followed by Bukhari plaau rice dish and then of course tea and cookies. I was however in for a surprise when my beautiful host with green almond shaped eyes served me tea. I was expecting normal five roses chai. To my amazement the tea that she had served me looked pink in colour and when I took a sip I found that the tea tasted salty. I was under the impression that the lady of the house has made a huge blunder by adding salt in the tea instead of sugar. After enquiring, I then discovered that she had actually made for me traditional Kashmiri Noon chai. Noon does not refer to the time of the day but rather Noon is the Kashmiri word for salt. According to wikipedia,noon chai is made from special tea leaves, milk, and salt. A pinch of baking soda is added to help give it a pink color. It is prepared with pistachios and cardamom and is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter months when it is sold at many kiosks. Salt has antibacterial and antiseptic properties and thereby assists in preventing throat infections which tend to develop during the cold winter months. This is the rationale behind utilizing salt in the tea. Needless to say after having two sips of the tea, I just could not manage to gulp the tea down my throat. I did n't like the taste at all and apologized to my hosts for my lack of etiquette. Luckily, they were warm and understanding and so the lady of the house offered to make me a cup of normal tea that I of course thoroughly enjoyed on a cold winters afternoon......

http://www.lifensuch.com/noon-chai-salty-tea-pink-tea-kashmiri-namkeen-chai.htm - Picture

Cricket South Africa Awards Evening 2013

The Cricket South Africa Awards function was held a few nights ago at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. International cricket match referee Devdas Govindjee was present at the glitterati event and shared these pictures with all the blog readers.

The CSA Awards 2013 evening was a glittering function last night- moments to savour successes & meet so many in our cricketing family

The decor was stunning and the audio-visual presentations top class. Low lighting in the conference centre added ambiance to a special evening.

Popular T.V. personalities Carol Tshabalala & Robert Marawa were outstanding as program directors.

A lump in the throat moment for me when my great friend Hoosain Ayob received the CSA Khaya Majola Lifetime Award from Cynthia Majola and her son. Hoosain served cricket with distinction and is a special individual.

Congratulating Hoosain Ayob later in the evening was a special moment for me- we go back many years as players and have a mutual respect for each other- with us is Shafiek Abrahams now selector and commentator.

CSA umpires enjoying the evening . Murray Brown, Earl Hendrikse, Brad White and Marais Erasmus.

The legendary Cyril "Squire" Mitchley -now a Match Ref with CSA scorer Laura Webster 

Catching up with fellow Port Elizabethan and CSA Head Coach Russell Domingo

Geoff Dakin the former head of cricket presenting the Umpire's Umpire of the Year Award to Shaun George

The top honour of the evening Hashiem Amla getting the CSA Player of the Year Award- well deserved for an outstanding season