The Saut D’Eau Adventure

“It took my breath away.”

“He/She took my breath away.”

“Taking one’s breath away.”

There’s something about having your breath taken away. There’s something so astonishing, so marvelous, so beautifully beyond imaginations that it leaves you grasping for air because it took your breath away. There’s something that leaves you feeling numb and breathless. But what does that really mean? I remember the times when I would see a crush and say “he took my breath away”. I remember my friends would see a shirtless crush with a nicely-shaped abdominal region and say “it took my breath away.” However, this past weekend, I’ve realized that the “taking my breath away” I’ve all been using all my life has been a big fat lie as I experienced the first time a sight that rendered me breathless.

The trip to Saut D’eau lasted about 1.5 hours during which we drove on the roads in the mountains, overlooking several parts of Haiti, with a view reaching the ocean. I was in awe. I found myself constantly repeating:”Dang, this country is beautiful!” and when I wasn’t, my other friends in the car were. I had never seen anything this beautiful. And it wasn’t any type of beauty. It was a raw beauty that was untouched, unadjusted, completely the way nature created it. You saw mountains after mountains and rivers in between the mountains and lakes a few miles away from the mountains and the cow eating its herbs peacefully on the side of the road.

Road heading to Seau D’eau in the mountains

After seeing this beautiful sight for 1.5 hours, I wanted to say that my breath was taken away, but to be honest, it wasn’t…yet. It wasn’t until after I arrived in the Seau D’Eau area, paid my 50 Gourdes ($1.10) entrance fee to the waterfall that my breath started to get taken away. My friends and I got in our bathing suits and decided we would climb to the top of the waterfall. There were a few guys who graciously helped us make our way to the top of the waterfall for a small tip. Half way through the top, I paused and dropped myself to the ground just to feel the cold water rush through my sweaty skin. The pause ended and we continued our way. A few minutes later, we had finally made it to the top. I sat down to feel the pressure of the waterfall. I felt the water brush against my back and cool my skin and after a few minutes it felt like I had been transported to heaven. I laid down on the big rocks, while in observation mode, and took in the water with all five senses. Afterwards, I sat up, and with the water still rushing past my skin with all its strength, I became even more observant of the water, the people making their way to the top, the guy who lit up his candles to honor the ancestors with his chants. I sat motionless for about 15 minutes. Here I was in Haiti, sitting under a waterfall with nothing but gorgeous mountains right across from me. At this moment, my breath was literally taken away. I was breathlessly fascinated at the beauty I was witnessing. I was breathless. I could not breathe. I thought maybe I needed an asthma pump. My breath was taken away. At that same moment, I heard my friend say: “This is so beautiful that it takes your breath away. I literally can’t breathe.”

Seau D’Eau Waterfall in Haiti

Seau D’Eau Waterfall in Haiti

A few seconds later, a man came to me and asked: “Is this your first time coming here?”. I replied  with a short “yes”, hoping he would leave me in my silent observation. “You’re Haitian, right?” he continued. “Yes” I replied. “So why is this your first time coming here? You look like you’re in your 20s and it’s a shame that this is your first time here.” As much as it hurt to hear those words, I was completely in agreement with him that indeed it was a shame. It was a shame that tourists and missionaries and foreigners who come to Haiti pretending they’re doing development work (but that’s another story) knew my birth country better than I did. It was a shame that they knew the wonders of Haiti better than I did. At the same time, I was proud to have made it to Seau d’Eau, on of the many wonders of Haiti that will take your breath away in every sense. I was proud to be experiencing the natural beauty of this majestic nation that is often oppressed by the media. I became pensive, and to myself I said: ” Dear ancestors, I promise that my kids won’t wait as long as I did to discover the beauty of Haiti.”

Seau D’eau in Haiti