Sariaya, Quezon Province

Last month, the mapping project volunteers went to Sariaya in Quezon Province to map the whole town. The town is pretty small and one can walk around in one day but built heritage was abundant so all volunteers for the day went in groups together with local guides.

For the second time, I was mapping buddies with a fellow archaeologist. The two of us have a reputation in school for our big appetite and naturally we band together to go on side trips for the sake of food. It's funny how we started the day in Sta. Ana with a quick breakfast in a tapsilogan while the other volunteers already started with their respective zones. In Sariaya, we stuffed ourselves with leche yema and tamales, and even planned to visit a local restaurant in the afternoon but this didn't materialize because we had to work.

Thank heavens the weather wasn't bad. It wasn't that hot in the day and we were already conveniently working on our articles inside the convent hall when rain started to fall. The initial plan was to leave the town with everything mapped up but it was impossible given the extra slow internet connection. Late in the afternoon we packed our things for the most anticipated event of the day.

Gala-Rodriguez Mansion facade

Gala-Rodriguez Mansion interiors

Tour Guide E. Dedace is part of the Sariaya Heritage Council

Gala-Rodriguez Mansion interiors

We were treated to a tour at the magnificent Gala-Rodriguez Ancestral House. Unlike the houses that were assigned to us, this erstwhile residential mansion-turned museum bespeaks of affluence as the architecture stands out with many fine intricate details.

Like most ancestral houses, this mansion has an interesting story. It is said that a daughter of this prestigious family was so beautiful that when World War 2 broke out, she was to be kept hidden away from the eyes of the Japanese. The ultra spacious basement served as a hideout for her and her companions when the Japanese would arrive. The basement is now a darkly lit museum housing artifacts like bottles (yes BOTTLES! woohoo!!!), old gadgets, Imeldific shoes, and many other things of a bygone era.

After the tour, we were treated to a song and dance performance. Of course, any visit to Southern Tagalog region would be incomplete without a taste of their lambanog. We all drank just a weeny bit, enough for us to quickly feel the intense heat in our body.

Then dinner was served, followed by speeches by the Wiki leads. They talked about building the nation by building an information database through crowd-sourcing, which is precisely what Wikipedia is all about. Of course ours is just a small project in relation to the wider and more general goal of Wikipedia to build a reliable online encyclopedia for free.

Karaoke inside our jeepney-bus ensued, with volunteers singing one song after the other. I took my much needed sleep since prior to this trip, I've been lacking sleep and I was afraid I might come down with a fever. Sleeping with all the noise was never a problem and by the time I woke up, I already had the energy to have my revenge by singing some of my favorite OPM: Regine Velasquez's Dadalhin, Join the Club's Nobela, Aegis' Luha. These, alongside Eagles' Desperado and A1's Heaven by Your Side. 

Got home at 1AM, tired and sleepy but happy nevertheless. For once, I felt like the volunteers were finally being friendlier and more outgoing. It was a joy to interact with those whom I haven;t even spoken to before. Hopefully the project will be a success.

___________________________

Except that as of the present, we are yet to hear news of our new project lead following the resignation of the original lead....