By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
ONE OF the sites we visited during our recent trip to Baler in Aurora was to the 600-year-old balete tree (said to be the biggest and oldest tree in Asia) that stands in a clearing carved out of the lush forests that surround the capital.
The balete is so old that its roots have grown to gigantic proportions, pushing out of the earth and raising the main trunk way above the heads of visitors. Locals say it takes 60 adults, linking arms, to surround the entirety of the tree. So large is the tree, in fact, that the complex network of criss-crossing roots has formed tiny caves and passageways which children climb and explore.
The women in our party were leery of moving past the external roots, fearing getting lost in the maze and encountering bird dung and spider webs, not to mention bird poop and (gasp!) snakes. But the men who ventured into the tree’s interiors reported that the space at the tree’s center was surprisingly roomy, with sunlight streaming in through the interlaced branches and leaves.
We couldn’t help wondering how much history, how much upheaval and drama the balete had witnessed, a silent sentinel through the passage of time and tide. Just last year, said some locals, they feared for the balete’s health as typhoon winds lashed Aurora, and they rushed to the site as soon as the weather had cleared. The tree had indeed been battered, with several branches broken off, but still it stood, defying nature’s wrath.
A likely metaphor for the Filipino people, isn’t it? Beset by political winds like “Typhoon Con-ass,” battered by political ambition, corruption, hypocrisy and sex scandals, and living with the plagues of poverty and pestilence, and still standing strong, weathering the storms of life.
When in Cebu City, please visit also gregmelep.com for your retirement and real estate needs.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
ONE OF the sites we visited during our recent trip to Baler in Aurora was to the 600-year-old balete tree (said to be the biggest and oldest tree in Asia) that stands in a clearing carved out of the lush forests that surround the capital.
The balete is so old that its roots have grown to gigantic proportions, pushing out of the earth and raising the main trunk way above the heads of visitors. Locals say it takes 60 adults, linking arms, to surround the entirety of the tree. So large is the tree, in fact, that the complex network of criss-crossing roots has formed tiny caves and passageways which children climb and explore.
The women in our party were leery of moving past the external roots, fearing getting lost in the maze and encountering bird dung and spider webs, not to mention bird poop and (gasp!) snakes. But the men who ventured into the tree’s interiors reported that the space at the tree’s center was surprisingly roomy, with sunlight streaming in through the interlaced branches and leaves.
We couldn’t help wondering how much history, how much upheaval and drama the balete had witnessed, a silent sentinel through the passage of time and tide. Just last year, said some locals, they feared for the balete’s health as typhoon winds lashed Aurora, and they rushed to the site as soon as the weather had cleared. The tree had indeed been battered, with several branches broken off, but still it stood, defying nature’s wrath.
A likely metaphor for the Filipino people, isn’t it? Beset by political winds like “Typhoon Con-ass,” battered by political ambition, corruption, hypocrisy and sex scandals, and living with the plagues of poverty and pestilence, and still standing strong, weathering the storms of life.
When in Cebu City, please visit also gregmelep.com for your retirement and real estate needs.
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