Luneta Trivia!
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Luneta is where the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal was shot by the Spanish authorities. It is located near the historic fort Intramuros which was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Intramuros literally means “within the walls”. It is vibrant and full of history. But most of the people have already forgotten its storied past. In front of the guarded Rizal statue (referred to as kilometer zero), traffic snarls. Across Roxas Boulevard is the Quirino grandstand where most of the monstrous rallies and protest marches originate. Beyond is Manila Bay with its legendary sunset.
People from different parts of the country and the world come to Luneta to rest and admire, and reminisce the great courage and struggles for the country’s independence against colonial domination. People mill around, engrossed with themselves and with the many different mini parks within Luneta in the midst of a bustling Manila metropolis. Not far from where we are is a group of animated strangers. We came closer to investigate, hoping to take a piece of the action. What we discovered came out to be a truly unique and fascinating experience.
We gathered in a circle, and in turns, each one asks a trivia question. Whoever gets the correct answer gets a reward from the one who asked the question - a one-peso coin. It is not much and it might be unintentional, but the coin has Jose Rizal in it. You will not believe the kind of questions asked. They range from ancient civilization to modern gadgetry, from sports to bird migration.
A street sweeper was able to answer a question about a computer terminology. A carpenter knew about a vanishing tribe in South America. And who knows Maun? It is a quiet town that sits where the Okavango River Delta meet the Kalahari Desert. I didn’t know that! And who asked the trivia question? A vendor selling candies and cigarettes who happened to be nearby. Wow!
After a while, not content with just listening, I tried asking a trick question: Who are the three presidents carved on Mount Rushmore? But it came out too easy, all of them knew it, and it’s not three there were four: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. I felt like a novice!
Time flew. We didn’t realize we were there for three hours already. We had such a wonderful time in the company of total strangers. But it seems that a strong bond of friendship was forged that night. We said our goodbyes. But I will be back again, armed with fascinating trivia….
