Lighthouse - Originally built by the Spaniards on 1836 and one of Corregidor's oldest landmarks, the Lighthouse offers a great view of Manila Bay, the South China Sea, and the rest of the island. It is located at Topside and is 628 feet above sea level
(from http://www.corregidorphilippines.com/index.htm).
It was my first time in Corregidor and I was really amazed how rich the history is of this island and how well preserved this part of the Philippine history is.
I'm glad that our friend Tom accompanied us- Jovy, Arnold and myself, going home to Manila from Minnesota. If not for him, I would'nt have gone touring to corregidor. Tom was the one who chose the place as one of the places he wants to see. That's how our trip began.
Tom made our reservation- him, Arnold and myself, at his hotel, Mandarin Oriental. For an additional fee, we got to have a shuttle from the hotel to the boarding point, CCP Bay Cruise Terminal at the CCP Complex in Roxas Boulevard. It's really convenient if you're already booked in a hotel, if not you can just take a cab. We got a Guided Island Tour and that already included ferry transfer, entrance fees and a buffet lunch.
From the hotel, a guy on a blue shirt (per Tom's words, which I learned the blue shirt is a barong) picked us up and drove us to the boarding point. We arrived there before 7AM. While waiting for our boarding, we bought ensaymada, donut and drinks for breakfast .
The ferry ride was a good hour ride. The cruise ship showed a film about Corregidor and how it played part in Philippine history. That movie was shown to prepare us for the history that we're going to see in the island.
Tour buses were waiting for us when we got to the island. At the time of our tour, there were companies also doing a sponsored tour for their employees.
The buses are all open on the sides for easy getting on and off the bus during the tour.
I remembered these types of buses are common on provincial buses in the past (oooops, I'm revealing too much of my age ;)
Here are the points of interests that we got to see during the tour:
Bottomside - where we saw Locha Dock where Gen. Douglas McArthur departed for Darwin, Australia and uttered the most famous line "I Shall Return".
Malinta Tunnel - this tunnel was originally an arsenal and an underground hospital. It's located beneath the Malinta Hills which made it a bombproof headquarters. During the tour, we got the see the Light and Sound show in the tunnel.
The Batteries- Way and Hearn, where we saw mortars and seacoast guns. These sites get to be the place where lots of battles were fought.
Topside- the highest point in the island. Here, we saw the "Mile Long Barracks", Senior Officer's Headquarters, Parade Grounds, Golf Course, Post Hospital and the old Spanish Lighthouse (picture shown above). An amazing place.
Pacific War Memorial - the highlight of the tour. A breathtaking place. It's a real wonder. This memorial was built by the US Government and completed in 1968. It is dedicated to the Filipino and Americal Soldiers who shed their blood in Corregidor.
One of the highlights of Pacific War Memorial is The Eternal Flame Monument.
It is a large steel sculpture which symbolizes the Flame of Freedom burning eternally.
It is located behind the Pacific War Memorial Dome of Peace, on a raised platform above a reflecting pool and set alight in the evening through solar power.
How I wish I could see this monument in the evening flooded with light.
Corregidor is such an interesting place to see. A place where Philippine history was made and preserved.
If you want to visit Corregidor, you can book your tour thru your hotel or you can do so online at:
http://www.corregidorphilippines.com/index.htm
Check out additional pictures of our our trip to Corregidor, here.
No comments:
Post a Comment