#1070 - Balete or Millennium Tree of Aurora Shots for Thursday.
Good morning once again dearest Hiveans across the world! This Thursday is our perfect opportunity to continue our progress we've already made while also adding needed touches until we reach the end of the week. Let’s get this energy through everything we do, let's go! Wishing us all a Thursday that is both fulfilling and productive.
Moving now to our daily shots during our couple of days vacation in Baler, Aurora which included a special side trip to the nearby town of Maria Aurora for us to see the famous Millennium Tree. My wife and I had been here once before about ten years ago with some of our gay friend. We're excited to finally show this incredible place to our son and as we walked into the park, the first thing that struck us was just how massive it is, it got bigger by the look of it.
It’s not just a tall tree but it’s unbelievably wide, like 50 people could hug the trunk or even more. The trunk is like a giant wrinkled bark that's so thick it’s hard to believe it’s a single tree because its propagated.
This isn't just any tree but it’s a Balete tree which is a tough one and it’s said to be around 600 years old, making it the oldest and largest known tree of its kind in the entire Philippines. Knowing that it has been standing there for centuries and witnessed so much history of our people who have been long gone was just a humbling feeling and it's crazy witnessing it first hand.
An amazing part is that you can actually walk underneath it which we didn't know the first time we came here years ago. The tree has these enormous roots that have grown together to form a large hollow space beneath the trunk. It felt like entering a secret cave or something. We walked right into it and the air was cool and smell earthy and I looked up at the complex web of roots above us. Our son was in awe.
We took our time exploring the area along with other visitors that come and go, we took plenty of photos too to capture the moment. It was a memorable experience for us sharing this place as a family. For me and my wife, returning to this place of past memories to create new ones with our son with memorable.
Seeing this natural wonder together is a memory we will all cherish for a very long time especially that it's embedded here now on Hive along with the rest of other memories we have. So thank you Hive 😍.
Follow me on my nature travels.
Shot taken in Aurora Province, Philippines.
Image/s were shot using Samsung Z5 flip phone. ~rex