Nothing special here. I had a better appreciation of their heritage in Bontoc Museum. But for curiosity sake see this.
I wasn't able to do much in Sagada since I went there with my dad and his older sisters, basically a more mature company. So no caving, no trekking and nothing too tiring for my cute aunts. I didnt expect too much from this trip since you've never gone to Sagada if you haven't done the cave exploration. Heck even my mother has done it. And my dad too on his earlier trip. I would have, if there was a guide available then but I heard from Inog-ay (guide of my aunts' group) that most of them were clearing some area to make a new attraction of some sort for tourists. Keep adding new attractions so tourists wont be bored with the usual.Needless to say, I just enjoyed the weather, some home cooked food by my aunties and some beer and rice wine. And good old lemon pie, with hot lemon tea.Then I stumbled upon Ganduyan Museum. It's a small and very unassumning place in the middle of town. I didnt expect it to be the highlight of my stay in Sagada. But it was. I was lost in town looking for my group of cute aunts when I happened to see some shoes left at the entrance to the museum. I went in and climbed to the second floor thinking it was my cute aunties company but saw a group of germans laughing instead and in front of them was Malid-om (the man in charge) explaining the bits and pieces before them. He welcomed me and asked me to join them. They were probably done with about a third of the room's contents. I stayed on, laughed and smiled, wondered and contemplated and I was just grateful I stepped inside. I brought my Dad the next day for a complete tour.Malid-om was the son of the curator. He was a local artist. And he loved the place. And you can see it in his eyes, in his laughter and in his animated way of going through the artifacts in the museum. Sure it wasn't easy to run a museum NOT funded by the national government. Sure there were a lot of offers by the big names in the capital to buy Ganduyan out. But Malid-om and his mom chose to keep it. And when you get the chance to drop by this litte nook in the middle of Sagada town in Mountain Province, you will understand what passion for culture and arts is about. You will understand how that passion equates to love for stuff that matter to a person. That's the icing on the cake. Since on top of that, you actually learn so much about the history and life of the people in the northern mountains.It actually makes one wonder, what if the Spaniards and Americans never came to the Philippines?
It's a small private museum near the bus & jeep terminal at the top of main street. Interesting and educational. Must remove shoes or slippers before going up to the second floor where the museum is located
This is the popular museum of Sagada, for its old name is Ganduyan.. Also, the ground floor of the building are shops of souvenir items, decors, and t-shirts.. The owner is a local of the place who is accommodating though strict, and you will surely get impressed with her accent as if shes married to a foreign man.. She told that her way of speaking was influenced by american missionaries before..
This is a display of a private collection of different things from Sagada and it neighboring towns that has been turned to a museum. The entrance is a small passage way beside the Ganduyan restaurant leading to a wooden staircase. You have to leave your footwear before going upstairs. I have gone twice to this place. The first time, I found the place somewhat interesting. The second time, the owner was able to go around with us and tell us stories about the collection and what Sagada was before it became a major tourist destination. She answered our questions. This I think made the entire experience very interesting and memorable. I suggest going around with the owner to explain things. Entrance to the museum is based on how much you want to donate and you are not allowed to take pictures.
Ganduyan Museum looks unassuming from the outside. But once inside, one will see a room is filled with various artifacts of the Sagada people each with a story of its own. One can't help but be captivated as the curator breathes life into the rich culture of his beloved people through the display of their works in his musuem.
The orator was quite interesting! You should not miss this. Learn more about Sagada and it's culture!
I like it here because the owner was very knowledgeable about their culture. I appreciated more the people and the place called Sagada.
The curator was well-versed. Very informative visit.They had a lot of interesting pieces in the museum.
We arrived here just before 5pm. It was already closed. We were 12 in the group. Maybe they can still accommodate our visit, and yes, the caretaker agreed. She was a middle age woman. A cancer survivor as she explained. She was very familiar of everything that was displayed. It shows the history and culture of the mountain tribes. Even explaining the period of head hunting complete with artifacts. Very good indeed. I enjoyed listening to the old woman. A visit to the ganduyan museum is worth the time you spend there.