The five of us (Dad, Mom, Jo, Brian and I) took a week and a half to soak up the sun in Dominican, probably one the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean.
This was the last leg of our trip south, we're WAY over tired, couldn't sleep but very excited to hit the beach.
This was the last leg of our trip south, we're WAY over tired, couldn't sleep but very excited to hit the beach.
Although we couldn't see the sunsets, the effects of them in the sky were amazing.
Our hotel, just before sunset.
Mom, fixing something in our little kitchenet...before she got really sick.
Brian posing on the patio which opened right out to the main pool.
The infinity pool that needed a bit more water to actually qualify, but beautiful none-the-less.
Jo and Auntie Sue.
Enjoying our free Pina Colada's before the welcome dinner, which was followed by a pretty awful 'dance show spectacular'.
We could walk into town via the beach.
When the tide was out a bit, we could walk on a long rock formation a few feet from shore that was padded with seaweed.
Dominican is also famous for it's wind, hence all of the kite surfers and wind surfers you see in the background.
One of the best parts of the trip was renting scooters and driving around the island to see it Dominican style...me with my tongue out and all.
More times than not, we were competing with the cars and other scooters for space on the nice parts of the road.
Downtown Cabarete, the town our hotel was closest to.
Brian and I almost biting it...one of a few times.
Roads are marked but only a few feet before a hole like this...half of the road had washed away.
A lot of the fences along the roads were made of trees. They take branches from the trees, plant them in rows, string barbed wire along them, wait for the tree to take root, and call it a fence....a sturdy one at that!
One of our many stops on our scooter road trips.
Someone's outhouse that we used for a potty stop...they weren't home so we thought it would be ok. :)
The view down the hill into Moca, but this is where we turned around.
Cool down stop at a river on our way back to Cabarete.
Sosua beach.
Another part of Sosua beach. It was broken up by rock formations that jut out into the sea. A few years ago, there was no sand here...a shift in winds or tides brought sand in to create the beaches with crystal clear water.
Every evening, the restaurants along the beach in Cabarete would put tables out on the beach so that people walking the beach browse the menus, check out the setting, and choose their restaurant for the evening.
A dear couple and their granddaughter that we went to meeting with and then went back to their home for lunch.
Ed Beasley, his brother and wife from the eastern US, and Ed's companion Yves from Hati.
While we were there, they were preparing for election day and were rallying for their select candidate with rallies (like this one we drove through on the way home from Sun. morning meeting in Moca), posters, loud speakers mounted on cars, etc.
The scenery between Cabarete and Moca was gorgeous.
Another evening meal on the beach.
A road side stop on our way to Playa Grande, said to be the most beautiful beach in Dominican.
Also on the way to Playa Grande, we passed an enormous house that we just had to get pictures of. It was almost arabian temple style but on the gate, in the picture below, there were three flags; United States, Dominican Rep., and India. Maybe an ambassador?
Total extravagance.
Playa Grande...and it was absolutely amazingly beautiful.
Back at our hotel, Jo took a few pictures to send to her best friend.
More road tripping, Dad and Aunite Sue. Mom and Jo had the second bike and Brian and I had the third. Aunite Sue wasn't too sure about the scooter idea so she rode with dad...the avid biker. ;)
Picture of Jo at 80 kph.
The dive shop were Brian and I got our dive certification! It's amazing...there was probably every country represented in the people that worked in that dive shop, definitely every continent.
This was our first of two dives. There was a lady diver that was also a professional underwater photographer that went with us. The next four pictures are ones that she took.
That's a Trumpet fish in the foreground...the long skinny thing. It was about a foot long.
Our dive master was very knowledgeable about the ocean life. He was always stopping us to show us something. In this picture, he was showing us a tiny snail that was hiking across the ocean floor leaving a small trail in the sand. If he'd never pointed it out, we'd never have seen it. He also found a small sting ray, moray eel, puffer fish, flounder, and SO much more for us.
The coral you see in the foreground were pieces that were strapped to a metal frame in an attempt to start more reefs. Coral takes a long time to grow and is very fragile.
Jo and I comparing bellies....she wins!
Me trying to catch some sleep on the cold cement floor in the JFK terminal on our 8 hour layover, on our way home. It was not very fun I must say.
No sleep in the terminal means opportunity for great shots like this! :)
And this.
