“Touring the Koko-en Gardens adjacent to the Himeji castle was an unexpected highlight of our visit”, wrote Jeff Solar, 64, of Silver Spring, Md., about his trip to Japan. “The fall colors were outstanding and the gardens were both amazing and a bargain (just a few Yen added to the cost of the Himeji Castle admission)”. (Photo by Jeff Solar/2017 Washington Post Travel Photo Contest)

Vivid colors and bizarre shapes come together in a false-color image that could be an illustration for a fantasy story. This labyrinth of exotic features winds its way along the edge of Russia’s Chaunskaya Bay in northeastern Siberia, seen as a vivid blue half-circle at the bottom of the image Two major rivers, the Chaun and Palyavaam, flow into the bay, which in turn opens into the Arctic Ocean. Ribbon lakes and bogs are present throughout the area, created by depressions left by receding glaciers. (Photo by USGS/NASA)

Pole dancers in Mexico have taken to the streets to celebrate their sport and show others the skills involved. The Pole Dance National Day celebration saw pole dancers gather in parks, outdoor gyms and on streets, using street lamps, sign posts and other objects to put on displays across Mexico City. Photo: A woman performs a pole dancing routine on a pedestrian bridge during the national day celebration of “Urban Pole” dance in Monterrey June 8, 2014. (Photo by Tomas Bravo/Reuters)

Men use ropes to try and right a supply truck overloaded with wheat straw along a road in Dargai, in the Malakand district, about 100 miles northwest of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, on April 13, 2012. (Photo by Mian Khursheed/Reuters)

Lamon Reccord, right, stares and yells at a Chicago police officer "Shoot me 16 times" as he and others march through Chicago's Loop Wednesday, November 25, 2015, one day after murder charges were brought against police officer Jason Van Dyke in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. (Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)

An Indian resident assists a dog as he wades through floodwaters in Ahmedabad on July 30, 2014. Rains lashed Ahmedabad and many regions of India's western Gujarat state, wth the Indian Metrological Department warning of heavy rains for the next 48 hours. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)

A volunteer approaches a male toad to pick him up from a road near Berlin on March 18, 2012 in Gueterfelde, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Bodybuilders pose on stage during the Mr.001 bodybuilding competition in Mombasa, Kenya, on December 11, 2021. This bodybuilding competition was created by a former bodybuilder and its the first one to happen in the coastal city since 2015. The name comes from Mombasa's county code and currently is considered one of the biggest in East and Central Africa. The first edition brought over 200 participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa and Pakistan who competed in different categories including physique, bikini and figure. (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt/AFP Photo)