"Greatness does not only come from huge quantities and fat funds. My conviction is something is already great when you are able to put up that something from scratch with a purpose to educate and inspire."

[LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET, PHILIPPINES] ▬ Sometimes there is luck. Sometimes it's pure hard work. However, hard work and luck can go together. You can see the fruits of luck and hard work in this building I'm going to feature. The museum here is a testament of love for her heritage and the people who became a big part in her journey called life.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ A WOMAN IS TAKING A PHOTO OF THE ARTIFACTS

▬ Bulol: The Rice-God of the Mountains ▬

BULOL IS A CARVED HUMAN FIGURINE. ON EVERY other step of the stair leading us to the , sculptures of bulol are displayed. You know, Igorots are so clung into their traditional beliefs. The modern world already had its way in their lives as mountain dwellers but the past made it sure to still exist in the future.

These sculptures have become a symbol of the Cordilleras. They believe that a certain kind of anito incorporate itself here when worshiped.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ BULOL WOOD CARVING

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ A CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE IS DISPLAYED ON THE NEXT STEP OF THE STAIR

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ BULOL BESIDE A MODERN SCULPTURE

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ A PIECE OF MODERN ART FORM

▬ A Maid-Turned-Millionaire: The OFW Story and the Museum ▬

THE OWNER OF THE JEWEL IGOROT BUILDING as a whole is a woman named Daisy. I wasn't able to meet her but learning her story is already more than enough to stir my faith to humanity.

Each crew member in her restaurant is an Igorot who all take pride of their culture and identity as a group. Each of them knows the history and story of the place where they are working.

Daisy is an ordinary Filipina from Mankayan town, also in Benguet, who worked in Hong Kong for 10 years as a domestic helper. Her boss is a Portuguese businessman in Hong Kong. But because of her dedication to work armed with the motivation to help her family back in the Philippines, something good was in store for her. Her amo (employer) made a last will and testament transferring all his wealth to her when he dies. Wow!

Her employer eventually died due to heart attack.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THE 4-STOREY JEWEL IGOROT BUILDING

She went back to the Philippines. From the wealth she inherited from her employer, she was able to construct a 4-storey building in La Trinidad. She leases the other rooms. Some parts of the 4th floor is her home.

The little museum is also at the fourth floor. The fourth floor is a spacious area with a long dining table, hanging spheres from the ceiling and elegant wood benches. Her collections are placed in one corner. In fact, she also took the collections of her employer: antique spoons, forks, glasses and plates. Everything was displayed here. Some of the delicate pieces are kept in the other parts of the building. This museum is both dedicated to her cultural bloodline and her former employer she now considers as foster parent.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FOURTH FLOOR OF THE LEFT WING

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ STYLISH WOOD BENCHES

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ ANTIQUE WARES

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ CORDILLERAN ARTIFACTS

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ WELL-PRESERVED BULLHEAD

The Jewel Igorot Museum is not the fancy, lavish and grand museum you might be thinking. It's a humble home to some Cordilleran arts & artifacts and the legacy of her foster parents. What makes this museum great is the desire of the owner to showcase her heritage to all visitors. She is a proud Igorot woman and her love for her cultural inheritance and of her foster parents is very evident here.

Seeing her as a well-off woman, she once said in a TV interview aired on TV Patrol : "Don't totally rely on luck. You also need to work hard."

Greatness does not only come from huge quantities and fat funds. My conviction is something is already great when you are able to put up that something from scratch with a purpose to educate and inspire. For me, this little humble museum is great! It's the things that you learn and inspire you that matter—not the size, not the quantity. I will always give merit for the substance however small or simple would that be. ▬ to be continued...

INDEX: INSIDE THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ MY 'AMAZING RACE' BAGUIO EXPERIENCE

► BLOG SERIES: AZALEA SUMMER GETAWAY

Up Next: So we visited around 10 destinations in Baguio for a span of 3 hours! How's that? And why we have to do it?

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This experience was made possible through Azalea Residences Hotel in Baguio City. I was invited to experience the Azalea hospitality.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 | 3