Maria Aurora's Millennium Tree

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.