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Nyalungu_Afrikan Retreat, 1392 Shiyalongubo Dam, Barberton (2026)

10/12/2025

5 year land ownership anniversary!!

It was on the 10th of December in 2020 that we were able to finally have the Tribal Council cut a hectare of land for us in front of the dam, we had first come to the Chief’s office on the 5th of November to request permission to purchase land for business.

It took us the next 5 weeks to present our business in front of the whole Council of TiNdunas who all agreed to give permission for the purchase request, we where also fortunate to firstly meet the Chief of this day 5 years ago, and secondly to have a chat with him about our business and the type of Story he wishes us to share through our work about this beautiful Place of his Ancestors.

It has been 5 years of a deep meeting of Self and all it’s limits and abilities, this place has afforded our family a freedom we didn’t even know was possible. We don’t take it for granted in the least bit, we’re eternally grateful for the Land and the Water and the Holy Mountains that surround us. We’re grateful to have a Home 🙌🙏🌼💜

17/09/2025

What are we but these Intentions we keep setting,
Whether we are aware that we are setting them or not.

An intention we set at the end of 2021 was to build our home using our own hands and resources found locally on our land, we have taken the building as far as we can ourselves. Here it stands today, it’s high, thick and steady walls a testament to our dedication, grit and ingenuity! Without any formal training in construction and after watching a few YouTube videos, a family and some Friends have managed to make the Circular walls of this home stand!

Unfortunately this is how far we can take it considering our limited experience and training in construction. For the next phase of the building we have employed a professional Stone Mason to construct the rest of the rooms of our home using rock, which we have a great abundance of on the land.

We have already completed digging the rest of the foundation, and next we begin construction of the rock part of the structure.

This is our 3rd year living in tents, you have no idea how exciting the thought of having a bedroom be a reality is. We are grateful for the endless inspiration and intentions,
A day at a time, we’ll all get there!

24/08/2025

In 2020 when we got the land we made a difficult decision to pause operations and business at , we did this so we can give our full attention to our new priced position, the land 🥰. And for the next 3 years we worked the land tirelessly, and began building an Earthbag structure with ZERO building experience, let alone Earthbag building!

But it wasn’t about any of that! It was about what we wanted to do, and what we wanted to do was to build a home for ourselves, using our own hand and the boundless Resources we have right here on our space. And that’s EXACTLY what we did!

In 2023 through a Friend’s probing we were faced with yet another decision to make that would change our direction again, with the building having reached roof level we knew it was time for us to commence operations with Nic & Nic, what was gonna be different this time around was that we would have to move our machines to the Mountain.

We got a small space with electricity to rent out from a family in the community, shortly after that we were shortlisted in the prestigious .sa Innovation Awards with our innovation of recycling inner tubes to make bags and accessories , with our winnings from there we built a work space right on our own land.

Now 2 years later with operations picking up in the workshop, we have come to the natural decision to seamlessly merge the two aspects of our Space together. Continuing with the building up of our space to develop it for eco tourism, all while we continue to remove waste from the environment through our workshop and the work we do through

We are happy to be back posting on Nyalungu Afrikan Retreat, if you are also making friends with Uncertainty, in conversation with Unlearning and taking a walk with Trust. We would love to host you and exchange Notes, we are all in this beautiful Classroom together.

05/07/2025

Tucked away in the heart of the Makhonjwa Mountains, where the wind whispers through ancient trees and the land still remembers, we invite you to return… to yourself.

Here, time slows down.
Shoes come off.
And the rhythm of life aligns with the rising sun, mountain mist, and the crackle of evening firewood.

Come rest.
Come create.
Come be.

Whether you’re gathering herbs at sunrise, journaling under the wild fig, sharing stories over warm tea, or simply breathing in the stillness—this is a space to reconnect with the earth, your inner voice, and community.

Sacred simplicity.Deep presence.
Ancient grounding.

The mountain is calling you home.

22/08/2024

We had a great time hanging with Mia for a Platteland Magazine interview about what we’ve been up to the past 16 years basically.

Thank you for capturing these lovely moments Mia, we are grateful.

25/11/2023

Introducing our Taweret Tote Bag ( Protector, Childbirth, Fertility)

R1200 (with beadwork)
R900 (without beadwork)

This tote bag is perfect for a mom at home or work. It has enough room for extra nappies and bottles, or big enough to slip in a laptop for that quick meeting at that coffee shop down the road.

Named after Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility, protector and childbirth. It is a fitting present for any women who represent these qualities 🥰🙏💜.

20/11/2023

An update on the progress of our home:

The past 2 months has brought so much excitement into our lives,
We’ve had to put down our tools while we went through the process with the competition we participated in.

End of October we began building again,
We couldn’t get our hands on mash wire so we used normal fencing to help hold the cement mix we’re plastering with.
This is sort of a rough emergency cover we’re doing to protect the bags from further sun damage.

Next we continue covering the lower part of the structure with plastering all around,
Thereafter we begin the exciting part of roofing.
We’re fired-up about this next part,
Every step is taking us closer and closer to moving in !!!😁😁😁😜😜😜

This house has taught me a very important lesson.
It’s taught me to go for what I want,
Even if I’m scared,
I just need to keep going.
Each step takes you farther than you were before,
Even if you have to take 3 steps backwards (3 times 😅).
Every step has a special lesson with it.

So please,
Just do it.
Even though you’re scared.
Scared can’t do anything to you!

02/11/2023

We have a new member of the family! 🥰🥰😍🐐

Meet Steve Jobs,
There’s a very interesting story of how he came to become the newest member of our family.

In May this year while we were building with Mr Makamo (a neighbour who has been lending a hand with our Earthbag structure) noticed a roll of water pipe I had laying on the floor,
We had intended to connect our water storage and pump water from the dam.
With the dam so close,
It’s never been really necessary for us to connect it,
So the pipe just stayed there under the sun.

Mr Makamo who was at that time trying to connect water from a nearby natural spring to his home using whatever piping he could get his hands on, told me about his goat that is pregnant. My eyes lit up as I told him there’s nothing I’d love more than to have a herd of goats if my own.

Two days later I offered him the 100m of pipe for a kid once the goat gives birth,
He agreed and we shook hands on it.

A month later we fetched our machines and began working on our bags again .
It so happens that the house we let to make our bags is right next to Mr Makamo’s home,
As we began working we needed to wash our tubes.
Guess where we are getting our water from?
It’s from the pipes that we bartered with just a month before!
How crazy?
The Energy had come full circle right before our eyes.

Fast forward to when the goat was born and we had the fun task of coming up with a name for the young male kid that the mom delivered.

There were many options for GOAT (greatest of all time) names that we went through with the children.
We had Messi, R Kelly, Hugh Masikela.
But after a vote,
Steve Jobs came up top.
Steve reminds us to always Think Different.

We look forward to having him home with us as soon as he’s done nursing.

Say hello to Stevy everyone 😊😍🥰🐐.

🐐

23/09/2023

Baking our own bread using a pot and coals has to be a definite highlight of this year.

20/09/2023

It’s been some time since our last post and boy do we have a lot to share!

On a previous post I shared how the bags were sun damaged and needed urgent plastering,
From that post we got a lovely exchange on our DM with from Chille. From our exchange we were made aware that there’s a relationship between the size of the dome radius and the width of the Earth bags.

It turned out our 6m dome was not going to hold up with our 40 cm bags.
And that’s when the stress began!

We noticed that there was a weird lean that the wall on window side of the dome, we decided to undo the wall and start up again making corrections on the curvature. Two days after completing the rebuild we noticed that the wall was still doing a weird lean,
We undid it again all the way to the base of the window frame and build it up again.
This time around we built the wall straight up after we realised that we won’t be doming the structure anymore.

We consulted our architect friends and the lovely people over in Chille and the advice was to make the house have a flat roof instead of doing a dome.

We were advised by (architect) to add a pole which goes from the one side of the window to the other side of the other window, this is to create stability so that the wall no longer does a weird lean. It’s worked beautifully.

We’re one more line as it stands to completing the house and adding our roof!

After rebuilding the house 3 times, I’ve learned that there’s so much reward in going back to fix where you messed up.
By so doing you ensure that the future doesn’t repeat the same mistake, when it is fix you no longer need to go back there. You can focus on the next thing.

Building this Structure has been a truly enlightening experience, I’m glad it chose us.
Can’t wait till we finally move in.

27/07/2023

🌀 Embrace the Spirals of Life! 🌀

Nature is a masterful artist, weaving patterns of beauty throughout our world. One of the most mesmerizing and enchanting patterns is the spiral. 🌿✨

Spirals are everywhere around us, from the delicate curves of seashells and the intricate arrangement of flower petals to the grand galaxies swirling in the cosmos. They symbolize growth, evolution, and the cycles of life. 🌱🌪️

In the chaos of life, spirals remind us to find harmony and balance. They teach us that even during difficult times, there's an inner strength that propels us forward, just like the spiral's unwavering center. 💪🌀

Let's learn from nature's elegant design and embrace the wisdom of spirals. Embrace the journey of life, with all its twists and turns, knowing that every experience brings us closer to our core purpose. 🌟🔁

Pause for a moment today and appreciate the spirals around you. Let their beauty inspire you, and may they serve as a reminder to keep moving forward with grace and resilience. 💫

Nyalungu_Afrikan Retreat

10/12/2025

17/09/2025

24/08/2025

05/07/2025

22/08/2024

25/11/2023

20/11/2023

02/11/2023

23/09/2023

20/09/2023

27/07/2023

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