Lyka guided me on how to properly honor the statue of the Virgin of Our Lady of Caysasay.Â
Not far from the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay is the Sta. Lucia Well. According to the locals, including Lyka, the well’s waters have healing powers. (It was also fascinating to learn that casay-casay is the local term for kingfisher.)
The children of Taal really know our history by heart and they talk about it with pride. I’m not surprised as to why FlipTrip’s Head Explorer April Cuenca chose to celebrate her birthday with the kids who had accompanied her around town before.Â
            
If not for Lyka who was busy telling me about the history of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps, I would’ve just spent the climb counting each of the 125 steps for validation — which is, hello, boring.
Walking with kids who are all smiles and full of energy along ancestral houses made the summer heat bearable.
More than the beauty of the ancestral homes and architecture of churches, FlipTrip’s travel-for-a-cause event at Taal Heritage Town underlined that it is really the people who preserve our culture and heritage. We have to invest in the education of youth because they can best understand the importance of their role in preservation, and think of ways to enrich what we have if they know our roots.
             
Lyka and her sister told me that their biggest dream right now is to finish school.
