Towering at about 60 meters or 200 feet+ tall, this balete tree located in Brgy. Quirino, in the town of Maria Aurora, Aurora is claimed to be the largest of its kind in Asia. This tree has been growing for more that 600 years and was designated as the official "Millennium Tree of the Philippines". It has also become one of the most visited sites in the province of Aurora.
The tree grows on a private property. And since it has become popular, the site has now been converted into a park. There is an entrance fee of P10/head that goes to the maintenance of the place.
While the local folklore says that in some areas of the country, some people believe that balete trees are dwelling places for supernatural beings like kapre or tikbalang, this Balete tree also holds a story that makes it more enchanting. According to legend that has been passed to several generations, the owner wanted to remove the tree with a bulldozer but before they can even proceed with the plan, a family member got sick as well as the operator. So he just left the tree alone and let it grow. Well, I'm sure these stories will only add to your excitement to see the Millennium Tree.
Because of its age, the tree's thick roots have grown above the ground and have formed various sections where persons can enter. Yes, if you are brave enough, you can enter or even climb its trunk.
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Oh yes, we braved the balete tree. We climbed, entered and posed with its gigantic roots and trunks like we never know (I actually don't, until this writing where I've done several research about balete trees) the true nature of this kind of tree known as strangler figs wherein they start upon other tress, later entrapping them entirely and finally killing the host tree. Yes, we survived! Haha.. Well, that is impossible to happen for a few minutes that we climbed and got inside the tree. That only happens in a horror movie. For we only did that for these photographs and experience. LoL! Oh, by the way, thanks to my friend Derrick for the photos while we were climbing the tree. He is the owner of Travel North, our partner for this trip.. ;) |
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| And we tried encircling its trunk. Looks like we almost covered it, yet we're only10, right? Well that's only a camera effect. |
Because of its thick roots that combined to its trunk, about 10 meters (33 ft) to 15 meters (49 ft) in diameter, it would take 50-60 grown men holding one another at arm's length to encircle it. There are also young local tourguides in the area. They would invite you to climb the tree or explore what's inside it. In our case, we were done climbing when he offered us to enter the trunk. He also took some photos of us inside and made some camera tricks including the panoramic shot where three scenes were captured in only one shot. He gave us instructions what to do as if he's directing us. We followed the instructions and we were all amazed with the result. So how do you find it? Great, isn't? haha.. Any amount you could give will be greatly appreciated.
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Since the Balete Park is our first stop, and we arrived at around 7:00 in the morning, we looked for some tummy-fillers in this Carinderia and had our breakfast there. Honestly, I was surprised when I learned they sell products you usually see in a sari-sari store at a higher price. Well, we have no choice. Since the tree is in a private property, this is the only carinderia you will see in the vicinity. They also sell Aurora's must-try products like suman, suka, bukayo and other kakanin cooked with coconut milk or "gata" since Aurora is known for coconut farming. This also serves as the information area and where you will pay the entrance fee. There are also comfort rooms in a separate building so you do have to worry when you need to unload.
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After finishing our breakfast, we took another group picture with the Millennium Tree and the head on to our next destination - The Mother Falls..
Credits:
Wikipedia
Discover Aurora Philippines
Travel North
Date of Experience: January 3, 2015
With: Sheryl Lorenzo, Anthony Lorenzo, Diony Castro, Lady Obra, Jerry Obra, Leo Salazar, Arlyn Bautista , Aileen Columbino, Pamela Mallorca, Derrick Murillo & Chris Agas
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