Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 7, 2010
On first impression, it doesn't look like one tree. The shade was inviting, and the trunks beckoned me to explore.
The guy with the green shirt leaning against this mass of roots is working or playing on his laptop. As I gazed around, I realized that he wasn't alone. I'll bet there were at least five people sitting under the tree using their computers. This banyon tree and its assorted benches provide a sort of outdoor internet cafe (bring your own laptop, and I'm not sure where the connection comes from).
One tree creates a small forest of beatifully-textured roots and light-play from the tree's canopy.
This is the main trunk. Branches of varying sizes reach out horizontally and . . .
. . . like these, they drop roots in large clusters.
The roots eventually look like real trunks, and the branch continues to grow outward to form yet another trunk.
Here is a plaque at the base of the main trunk.On another note, a funny thing happened while we were wandering under the tree. A young woman was telling a young man about the cruise she was on. She said, "We're stopping at some small town, then going on to Seattle, and then Alaska." Can you guess where that small town is? Right. Astoria, Oregon. If you're reading this and don't know me, that's where I live. I could say, "Small world," but so many cruise ships stop here that it's not such a coincidence. It did make us laugh, though. A few days after we got back, there was a cruise ship in port. I wonder if she was on it.
