The Cloud Forest

Saba - Netherlands Antilles

At the base of the mountain lies a stone path, carved from the very mountain by ancient hands. As you climb the twisting, turning path, you enter the rain forest. Mahogany trees bend and sway overhead, moss draped across them like delicate green shawls. Flowering bromeliads spring up from the ground and the crooks of trees. Leaves of the elephant ear roll in the breeze, seeming large and stout enough, I expected to see a small child curled up on one, napping.

Then quite suddenly, through the ferns, palms, and vines, you reach the Cloud Forest. Cloaked in the mists of passing clouds, the vegetation grows even deeper and lusher, with intoxicating orchids, beds of colorful lichens, and countless fruit trees. It holds a peace and gentle quiet, giving way to the creatures that call it home, harmless red-bellied racer snakes, spotted anoles, tiny tree frogs, and gorgeous zebra butterflies.

It feels like you have stepped past the threshold of another world. When the wind presses through it is as if the forest is breathing, whispering its story, if you only had the right ears to hear the words. There is a calm that exists there, like a long slow sigh of contentment. And if you relax and take a moment, you feel it too.