The world's widest tree

In the town of Tule, some 15 kilometers or so from Oaxaca city, in south west Mexico, there is a cypress tree that is magnificent almost beyond belief. I sense this incredible sense of presence just being around it. Larger than life, and with such an abundance of life.

It is more than 2000 years old. It rises to 42 metres, and the trunk is more than 14 metres across, and has a 58 metre girth. It is estimated to hold some 800,000 cubic metres of time and to weight more than 600,000 tons. Those figures are hard to fathom, even though they are engraved in stone at the site.

There is no way we and our cameras could do justice to the tree, or even its 'son' nearby. But we did our best. The surrounding gardens were beautiful too. If you are ever in Oaxaca, seeing this old friend of the world is an absolute must.