In a quaint little town of Maria Aurora in the province of Aurora proudly stands a 600-year old Balete Tree that was designated as the official "Millennium Tree" of the Philippines.
Reputed to be the oldest and the largest tree of its kind in Asia, the gigantic trunk of this Balete Tree would take about sixty grown men, holding one another at arm's length, to encircle.
And due to its age, the tree's thick roots have grown above ground like so many solid buttresses, such that various hallows have formed under the tree section.
Many fear a Balete Tree because of its association with underground and dark creatures like white ladies, kapre and impakto. And if you look into the crevices of this tree, you might wonder if there are creatures beneath those holes.
But the way I see it, the only creatures that should be feared there are snakes and maybe frogs if you are icky. And to prove the point that the tree is perfectly safe, one local entered the hollows of the tree and found his way to the top of it. Awesome!
The Millennium Tree is the main draw of the Balete Park in Maria Aurora which is several minute's drive from Baler on mostly unpaved roads. Locals said that the park was once grand and that climbing the tree was prohibited but now, the park is somewhat neglected as proven by vandals and scuttled structures. Hopefully, the grandeur of the park be once again restored and the Tree protected so that it could really stand by its name of a thousand years.
In a quaint little town of Maria Aurora in the province of Aurora proudly stands a 600-year old Balete Tree that was designated as the official "Millennium Tree" of the Philippines.
Reputed to be the oldest and the largest tree of its kind in Asia, the gigantic trunk of this Balete Tree would take about sixty grown men, holding one another at arm's length, to encircle.
And due to its age, the tree's thick roots have grown above ground like so many solid buttresses, such that various hallows have formed under the tree section.
Many fear a Balete Tree because of its association with underground and dark creatures like white ladies, kapre and impakto. And if you look into the crevices of this tree, you might wonder if there are creatures beneath those holes.
But the way I see it, the only creatures that should be feared there are snakes and maybe frogs if you are icky. And to prove the point that the tree is perfectly safe, one local entered the hollows of the tree and found his way to the top of it. Awesome!
The Millennium Tree is the main draw of the Balete Park in Maria Aurora which is several minute's drive from Baler on mostly unpaved roads. Locals said that the park was once grand and that climbing the tree was prohibited but now, the park is somewhat neglected as proven by vandals and scuttled structures. Hopefully, the grandeur of the park be once again restored and the Tree protected so that it could really stand by its name of a thousand years.
600 years old?! Wow! That's old! So meaning it's been standing even during Lapu-Lapu's time?
ReplyDeletea 600-year old Balete, WOW! i've always been intrigued by balete, it hosts a lot of wild life. great post.
ReplyDeleteThat's one massive tree. I agree with the Gasoline Dude. You can only imagine the history that's behind that tree. :)
ReplyDeletelooks majestic. and scary. wala bang mga kwentong engkanto dyan... hehehe
ReplyDeleteIt is the Diwata and the Kapre who lives in the Balete tree not the white ladies.
ReplyDeleteYou should go back during night time... I know you are good at night photography... maybe you could capture a Kapre with your camera!
That would really be a stop that I would take. I'm fascinated by trees and I haven't really seen any balete trees aside from the ones in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteThis could be their queen.
Thanks for sharing.
creepy but fascinating. i hope she stands another millennium.
ReplyDeletethat 600 year-old is really amazing. but i know that somewhere, there should be some trees that must have been at least a thousand years old.
ReplyDeleteWe have similar banyan trees here in India.
ReplyDeletewhoa
ReplyDeletesobrang empowering ang dating ng puno
laki
happy weekend, lawstude
a 600-year old balete tree? wowowee....amazing! kitang kita sa photos na super huge sya. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteparang may similarity sila ng banyan tree, may nabasa kasi ako sa isang blog na palagi kong binibista, taga Hawaii yung author.
Millenium tree as a term is so catchy. Balete trees are really scary to look at (for someone who has wild imagination like me). Haha.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at this Balete tree. Surviving through a lot of tree-toppling typhoons that periodically hit Aurora tells just how strong it is.
ReplyDeleteso huge...laging nakakatakot na hearsays meron sa mga ganitong puno. but i love your shots! thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeletegrabe noh , wala lang, nung unang padpad ko dito sa page mo nagrereview ka pa lang, ngaun attorney ka na!!! galing.
have a good day lawstude! :)
That's huge. Pwede ba pumasok sa loob nyan?
ReplyDeletelawak ah. gusto ko rin yan akyatin. bala na kahit walang harness. hirap nga lang pagbaba.
ReplyDelete^ nagtatapang-tapangan si Doms. hihi
ReplyDeleteAmazing, 600 y/o?!
Nice set again. :D
Hi Norman! Sorry for another long absence, but after a busy start of the year I decided to make a break during the Carnival week, anticipating new hard weeks ahead!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! What an amazing tree...
Meanwhile, Blogtrotter 2 is at sea waiting for your comments. Hope you enjoy and have a great week!!
Kakatakot naman ang Balete na to . Ang laki ha.
ReplyDeletehndi ba creepy pumunta jan oman??? its balete kasi.... hahahaha
ReplyDeleteAng laking Balete nga nito. Parang nakakatakot ito sa gabi ah.
ReplyDelete