Happy New Year! May your 2018 be filled with a new world of possibilities!
After spending almost two months staying with family in Dallas, I carpooled with friends back to Austin, where I'm staying for a month before flying to Panama City on January 31st. I had every intention of celebrating New Year's, my birthday, and finding more paying clients before leaving to continue my travels in South America for a few months! I get by with a little help from my friends.
I stayed at Hosteling International for 3 nights since I didn't have an immediate place to stay upon my return. I met some interesting people there, including a guy visiting from New York who was looking for a wedding photographer in Austin. The day after arriving back in Austin, I went for a 10-mile jog along the boardwalk and explored the city as if I were a tourist again. I discovered that it's actually quite liberating living in the city without a car, which I recently sold online after ruining the engine due to a serious oil leak on my way to Dallas. So I've been walking everywhere for the past few days and I'm already feeling healthier in spite of the inconvenience.
I moved into a new place on the east side called Austin Fun House with a few roommates. It's a great location in South Shore District within walking distance to East Riverside. I returned to Austin with only about $300 after selling my Bitcoin at a loss and couldn't afford to stay at the hostel for more than about 5 days. I'm very grateful to have found a beautiful space in such short notice thanks to a friendly introduction to my landlord. He's a world traveler and has been to over 60 countries. Very inspiring guy and would make a great mentor for being a successful digital nomad.
On New Year's Eve, I walked to Auditorium Shores in freezing weather to watch the fireworks and live music. After an hour, I launched my drone as the fireworks shot into the sky and it immediately started snowing; a very unusual occurrence in Austin. I couldn't feel my fingers but continued flying my DJI Spark and capturing the entire colorful procession.
Check out the full aerial video: