We decided we needed a holiday, so Ruth found us a week in the beautiful Dominican Republic that was a real bargain. We had a great time!
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Sitting having a beer by the pool to chill out before dinner.
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Bright and sunny the next day.
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Blue Bay - that was the resort we stayed at.
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A little lizard - we always enjoy spotting these.
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Ruth on the beach.
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Tubular sponge.
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Lionfish - these were accidentally released into the Carribean (they aren't native there) and are wreaking havoc with local fish species.
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An eel that our dive guide coaxed out from it's hiding place in the sand.
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A sea urchin growing in the neck of a discarded bottle.
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Ruth and I on a safety stop. Note all our rented kit leaks bubbles everywhere!
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The guide playing with a pufferfish. It's interesting to see it puffed up, but I wish he'd just left it alone. Poor thing.
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Flamingo Tongue Snails on a sea fan.
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A Moray Eel.
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A seahorse - this is only the second time I've seen seahorses!
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Fish.
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Ruth.
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The view from inside one of the shady four-poster beds by the pool.
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The pool by night - it looks great with candles placed all around it.
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Candle by the pool.
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The start of the water ballet - people in leotards with torches doing strange things in a swimming pool!
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Our dive boat waiting for us on the beach.
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Somone taking a picture of the inside of a big barrel sponge.
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Crabs inside a barrel sponge.
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Another lionfish.
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Another seahorse. Hmm, I'm getting repetitive.
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The view from our bedroom window.
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Ruth at the beach bar, where we had a regular spot for a wee beer before dinner.
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Me with aforementioned wee beer.
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Ruth with dessert - complete with heart shaped service of sauce!
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Christmas tree worms - very intricate.
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Flamingo tongue snail on a sea fan.
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An octopus in a hole.
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The guide getting inked while trying to extract said octopus.
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The octopus ended up clinging to the guides guages. It was eventually taken home for dinner :-(
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The view from the shady spot we occupied between dives.
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The dive boat waits for us again.
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Ruth behind a big sponge.
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Butterflyfish.
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These spheres are supposed to form the basis for new coral reefs.
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Black sea urchins - these have a nasty sting so are best avoided.
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A tiny nudibranch, just an inch long.
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A porcupinefish - about 18 inches long.
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Sea fans at Sosua.
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The beach was prepared for a private romantic dinner for two.
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The beach at Puerto Russo.
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Paradise Island.
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Cornetfish.
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Corals - the reef at Paradise Island was in much better condition than at Sosua.
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Ruth disappears off into the depths - no SCUBA today, just snorkelling.
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Many many sea fans.
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Brain coral.
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Boats wait to transport daytrippers back to Puerto Russo.
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Pelican.
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Shelters for the bar and white Scottish people!
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BIG sky.
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Embarking for the return journey.
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Ruth at dinner.
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The view over Puerto Plata from the foothills of Mount Isabela.
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The Dominican Republic is famed for it's amber - this piece is filled with trapped ants.
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A beautiful old Chevrolet.
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Art.
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The square in Puerto Plata.
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Ruth, with the cathedral behind.
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The view from Fort San Felipe, including a floating power station moored in the harbour and the ever present Mount Isabela.
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Some of the briks of the fort have eroded almost entirely, leaving just the mortar.
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Ruth.
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The main courtyard of the fort. I think the gun on the left is missing it's carriage... It looks a bit sad just propped up like that.
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Originally this was a drawbridge over a pit filled with spikes.
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Statue.
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Fort San Felipe and Mount Isabela.
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Ruth in the pool with a beer.
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Ruth sans beer.
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"Macedonia of Fruits and Leeches". The mind boggles.
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The end of our last day, and the clouds were gathering.
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Lanterns in the hotel reception area.
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We saw the eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull on Iceland on our flight back - which it had delayed.
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Visible behind the wing of the plane.
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Proof of our location!
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