Netherlands Antilles: Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/St. Martin

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.465] 'Mountain island.' Its volcanic top shrouded in clouds, Saba rises above yachts moored near the coast of neighbouring island St. Eustatius. The island is situated 250 km east of Puerto Rico. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.468] ’Red roofs.’ Red roofed cottages of Windwardside surround the Anglican Holy Trinity Church, built in 1877. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.472] ’Climbing Maskehorne Hill.’ A climb to Maskehorne Hill is rewarded with a view of Windwardside and the Caribbean Sea. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.479] ’Scout’s House-2.’ The porch of Scout’s House in Windwardside is richly decorated in ‘gingerbread style’. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.483] ’Cutting permit.’ Despite his permit, it appears that it has been a while since Cletus Johnson has cut any grass in this Windwardside field. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.489] ’Ecolodge.’ At the Ecolodge, an ecological oriented accommodation in the rain forest of Mt.Scenery’s southern slope, the simple wooden cottages are grouped round a small swimming pool. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.494] ’Colourful salad.’ A colourful salad has been created with vegetables and flowers which grow around the restaurant of the Ecolodge, a small hotel on the southern slope of Mt. Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.499] ’Turtle cottage.’ The simple wooden cottages at the Ecolodge have been decorated by local artist Heleen Cornet. The Ecolodge is an ecological oriented accommodation in the rain forest of Mt. Scenery’s southern slope. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.504] ’Forest angels.’ Angels, surrounded by the moss bearded trees of the Saban cloud forest, cover the choir of the catholic Sacred Heart church in The Bottom. Fresco by Heleen Cornet. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.506] ’Ginger bread.’ Typical Saban cottage with gingerbread decoration in The Bottom. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.509] ’Hotel with a view’. The Gate House Hotel in Hell’s Gate is perched on the eastern slope of Mt. Scenery, high above the Atlantic Ocean. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.514] ’Diving at Ladder Bay’. Ladder Bay, off the west coast, is a popular spot for experiencing the Saban underwater world. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.516] ’Number plate’. Although Saban motorists have only a short stretch of road at their disposal they are still clearly fond of their little island. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.519] ’Leafy imprint’. Along the Saban mountain tracks you can find fern leaves with which you can make an imprint of sticky white spores on your leg. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.527] ’Tree ferns’. Tree ferns in the cloud forest on the top of Mt. Scenery give the impression of an ancient Carboniferous wood. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.467] ’Windwardside.’ Windwardside lies wedged between Booby Hill (left) and the southern slope of Mt. Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.469] ’Floral Cottage.’ The historic core of Windwardside with Floral Cottage in the foreground. Saba’s village architecture has been highly influenced by the Irish, Scottish and English colonists who settled there starting in the 17th century. They brought with them wooden cottages typical of the English countryside. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.475] ’Scout’s House-1.’ Scout’s House in Windwardside was built around 1890 by Captain Thomas Hassel. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.482] ’Letter box.’ This letterbox in Windwardside is in the form of a typical red roofed Saba cottage. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.484] ’View on Mt. Scenery.’ Some houses in Windwardside have a glorious view of the slopes of Mt.Scenery, Saba’s 877 m. high dormant volcano. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.491] ’Tropical dining room.’ At the restaurant of the Ecolodge, a small hotel on the southern slope of Mt. Scenery, the rain forest just ends on the doorstep. Inside the dining room the tropical atmosphere is continued in the murals by local artist Heleen Cornet. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.498] ’Ecolodge reastaurant.’ Surrounded by its own vegetable garden, the restaurant of the ecological oriented Ecolodge lies surrounded by the rain forest of Mt.Scenery’s southern slope. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.502] ’Heleen Cornet.’ Artist Heleen Cornet has been living on Saba since 1986. She draws her inspiration from the island’s landscapes, local people and vibrant colours. She also is the owner of the Ecolodge, an ecological oriented accommodation in the rain forest of Mt.Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.505] ’Angelic children.’ Local children have lent their faces to these angels in the catholic Sacred Heart Church in The Bottom. Fresco by Heleen Cornet. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.508] ’Oleanders.’ Surrounded by oleanders a cottage at Hell’s Gate overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.510] ’Wells Bay’. Wells Bay, at Saba’s northwestern point, is a favourite mooring place for small yachts. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.515] ’Diving shop’. Diving shop at Fort Bay Harbor, the small port at Saba’s southwestern tip. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.518] ’Toy boat’. “It’s great for children who want to make a toy boat” says local jungle guide James Johnson, holding the hull that covered the flower of a Mountain Cabbage (Prestoea montana) Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.524] ’Climbing the volcano’. A steep track surrounded by tree ferns and Elephant ears leads to the summit of Mt. Scenery, Saba’s 877 m. high dormant volcano. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.529] ’Heliconia’. The vibrant colours of Wild plantain (Heliconia caribaea) are found throughout the rain forest on the slopes of Mt. Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.