Sunday, January 26, 2014
We arrived at Manila Bay and waited in line for our boarding
passes. We boarded, got seated and waited
for the boat to take off - it was actually a high speed ferry boat. It was great to be on the water! Even though our seats were on the lower deck
inside, we were able to meander around during the ride and enjoyed some time
outside…
When we got to the island we saw beautiful, clear water and
breathed fresh air. We disembarked and
went to our assigned tram that would be carting us around the island all day. It turns out the gentleman sitting next to us
on the ferry was our tour guide. He was
very informative and very entertaining.
The entire island is now a war memorial and we were able to see so much
history! Of course General Douglas
MacArthur played a big part here on the island of Corregidor during WWII and all Filipinos
know his famous words “I Shall Return.”…
We learned that there was a woman in our tour group who was
actually born on the island – a true Corregidorian. Her father was a Filipino soldier - they were called scouts. We passed where she lived when she was a young girl, but
sadly nothing remains there today…
We saw cannons and huge bullets. We went into the Malinta Tunnel where there
was a historical light show. What a hide
out during World War II. I can’t imagine
the fear and stress these people felt – such bravery and courage!
We had a very nice lunch at the Corregidor Inn where monkeys
were playing around in the trees…
We passed the remains of the barracks of the American and
Filipino soldiers. The men had been
separated because of language, food, and culture, but the barracks were the
same…
We saw several batteries and learned how the weapons were
stored and how the cannons were used…
What a great trip. Such history! All of that with the breath taking views –
definitely worth going again.
No comments:
Post a Comment