My HubSpot Sabbatical in South Africa

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At HubSpot when you've reached 5 years, the company gives you a full month off PAID. Yes, they pay you to take off and they give you some cash on top if it. Not a bad perk if you ask me. For 2 weeks of my sabbatical, I headed to South Africa. Our first stop was Cape Town for a week. 

  

IMG_0460.jpgBoulder's Beach in Simons Town has these precious little tuxedos. This colony landed in the 1980s and is on the verge of extinction currently! :(

IMG_0399-744024-editedChapman's Peak

IMG_0388Seal Harbor in Hout Bay

IMG_0763.jpgClifton 2nd Beach

IMG_0270The neighborhood of Bo-Kaap in Cape Town.. It's known for it's colorful houses. You can also spot Table Mountain in the back.

IMG_0268We had a local dish called "bobotie" at Biesmiellah Restaurant in Bo-Kaap. It's beef, herbs and spices over rice with egg on top. 

IMG_0570.jpgMount Nelson Hotel with a view of Table Mountain in the background. We had high tea here and walked around the grounds which were pink and perfect. 

IMG_0232Brunch at Bootlegger Coffee Company in Sea Point, Cape Town.

IMG_0619.jpgWe flew from Cape Town half way through our trip to Johannesburg. From there we were driven to Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve. We spent 2 days taking morning and night drives through the reserve. Because we visited in January, it was BABY ANIMAL SEASON. We saw rhinos, zebras, every antelope-type animal you can image, lions, elephants, hippos and giraffe. We even saw a leopard which is pretty rare. The only animal we missed was the African buffalo.

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IMG_1055.jpgAfter our safari, we headed back to Cape Town. We did a winery tour of the famous Stellenbosch region. Fun Fact: The South African wine industry produced 1 billion liters of wine a year. 

IMG_0987We did our tour through a company called Wine Flies. 

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IMG_0022We hiked Table Mountain by taking the Platteklip Gorge trail. The hike had beautiful views of Cape Town and took about 3 hours. We opted out of hiking down and took the Cable Car.

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IMG_0762.jpgHere's another photo of Clifton Beach because it's just ridiculous. If you're facing away from the water, you're staring at Table Mountain which is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Wowzers.

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