About 30 minutes west of Molinopampa, there is a neighborhood (un anexo) called Ocol where beautiful palm trees grow in a protected forest. Here, you can find four varieties of the wax palm species of palm tree. The land is partially open to the public and partially owned by private farmers, but if you ask nicely, they will let you walk across their farms, or chacras, to immerse yourself further in the beauty of the forest.
The palm trees of Ocol (los palmeros de Ocol) have dense crowns of feathered, fibrous leaves that rise high above surrounding forest canopies as a defining feature of the landscape. The tree resemebles a typical palm tree that you might envision when you think of Florida or California landscapes. However, it is much taller with a skinnier trunk than the varieties that grow in the United States. The wax palm tree is actually the tallest palm tree in the word, growing to a maximum height of 148 feet!
Because of the height of the palm trees, they are visually striking and memorable. The first time I saw them, I was in awe because I had never seen a palm tree forest before. I was suprised to learn that something so drastically different from the typical landscape in my town was growing only 30 minutes west of me!
