Penguin watching
The penguin tour in Akaroa is worth going to! They do an incredible job with the conservation aspect due to the particular breed that's in the area. The drive to the habitat is also absolutely stunning - and made me wish I could take a rally car on the roads...
Climbing a glacier
Got all the way here and almost didn't get to climb due to weather - crazy storms rolled through for a day leading up to it! Luckily we knew to keep a flexible schedule and were able to adjust to ensure we could climb. Super fun experience with absolutely incredible views, highly recommend.
Sandboarding
This is a bit tourist-y, but ever since I was a kid I've wanted to do this. It's both a lot like snowboarding and nothing like snowboarding: your basic skills transfer over fine, but sand doesn't shift like powder does and it's not easy to get speed back if you waste it. You also do this in socks, not boots. Greatest bit was just sending it off a massive dune - pretty sure I have a video floating around somewhere.
A flying Corgi
Little dude was so curious about what he was seeing.
Market in Mexico
A few other friends and I broke off from the wedding party for a few hours to check out a random town in the Mexican countryside. Biggest issue was just getting the cab driver to hang around.
Shibuya by night
I still think that soccer field was one of the coolest pieces of Shibuya.
Shibuya construction
The soccer court on top of the building sadly no longer exists. Shibuya has changed quite a bit in the years since this photo.
Flight to Pittsburgh
Fun fact! You can get a cheap flight to Pittsburg from Dulles airport on an airline that's mandated to be there after the whole deregulation mess from decades ago. We wound up getting this plane to go to Pittbsurg, and it was... a trip. Craziest sideways landing I've ever experienced in a plane.
Awaiting flight
Working on a side project for the metal scene in Japan while waiting for my flight to the States.
A local neighborhood festival
Food, festivities, etc. A great time!
Descending Mt. Fuji
This was thankfully less stressful. A selfie to commemorate the journey.