Corregidor Island

Corregidor Island
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.

Saturday, January 12, 2014

No Corregidor Tour Today... Let's Make It Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Saturday before last my alarm went off at 5:00 A.M.  We got ready and took a taxi to Sun Cruises Ferry Terminal on Manila Bay.  When we got there we found out that they were having this big marathon on Corregidor Island, and the boat was not leaving until 11:00 (it was supposed to leave at 8:00 and return to Manila at 3:45) and would return at 6:45.  That posed a problem as it was only 7:00 A.M. and getting back so late might not give us enough time to get Kona (we had boarded him at Pup Culture – it would have been a long day for him in the apartment). Hmmm…. We should have called.  We are learning that is the rule of thumb here in Manila.  We had not had breakfast, so we walked to Starbuck’s in Harbor Square and had coffee and oatmeal on the bay, which would have been nice except for the smell.  Manila Bay just plain stinks – it smells of sewage, and I have such a strong sense of smell.  It really is a shame that the bay is so polluted.  They are working to clean it up and have made progress… still.  In spite of the smell we had a nice time just gazing out over the water and people watching.

We took a taxi back to our apartment – I had to hold my breath a couple of times with the scooters and buses getting so close!  We decided to go to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.  It is a nice walk to get there and is absolutely beautiful!  It is so peaceful there.  It was sunny with a great breeze all day, so it was the perfect day to walk along the gravestones looking at the names of the fallen soldiers.  There is a really nice memorial with mosaic maps of the invasions – very educational.  Now when I’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle of the city, I know of a nice, relaxing place to just go and sit, meditate, or read. 

As for the Corregidor Tour, we are going to give it a go again this weekend.  Saturday is already booked, but Sunday is wide open – yep, we have already called J

Monday, December 30, 2013

Ocean Park Aquarium

Manila Bay

Ocean Park is an aquarium on Manila Bay.  It has several exhibits and shows and attempts to educate and make people aware of the importance of keeping our land and our waters clean and pollution free...

 It has an oceanarium...

It also has an Antarctica Exhibit which is not so great, but it was nice and cool...

It has a birds of prey exhibit, an all-star bird show, a sea lion show, and a musical fountain show which we didn’t stay for as it was performed only once a day at 6:30 P.M. (we were done well before that)...

The best attraction by far was the fish spa where we sat with our feet in a pool for 20 minutes and let hundreds of little nibbler fish go to town.  Our feet felt invigorated and have never felt so soft…

We had a fun day enjoying all of the attractions and having a great lunch at a restaurant right on the bay.

Saturday, December 28 - Sunday, December 29, 2013

IMAX Theater
Intramuros Walking Tour

The holidays here in Manila have been a lot of fun.  We had a wonderful Christmas and a fun New Years.  With Edi not having to work, we were able to venture out and see a couple tourist attractions. First, we had our first movie experience over the holiday.  We went to see The Hobbit: Destruction of Smaug.  We saw it in the IMAX Theater, and it was in 3D…

Our next adventure took us to Intramuros, Old Town Manila. We took the Walk This Way Tour guided by Carlos Celdran.  He is a one man show trying to change the way people look at Manila one step at a time...

It was a great tour, very informative and entertaining.  It was a really fun way to learn about the history of Manila…

The tour began at Fort Santiago and ended right across the street from San Agustin Church.  There was actually a wedding in the church, so we couldn’t go in; we just had to look in from the back.  It was beautiful…

While in the courtyard of this charming building, Carlos our guide gave everyone dessert – the national Filipino dessert called Halo Halo which literally means mix.  It was very different, but good.  It is a milky, icy sweet dessert with gelatin cubes, puffed rice, mango, and I don’t know what else…

We were each given a souvenir poster as we left…

The tour is a must if you come to Manila!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Passionfest
Celebrating Bonifacio's 150thYear

This past weekend Edi and I attended the Passionfest here in Bonifacio.  The festival celebrated Bonifacio's 150th year and commemorated one of the Filipino heroes, Andres Bonifacio...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifacio

On Saturday there was a fun run where runners were given red bandannas and flag belts.  They had to dodge people trying to steal their flags, and they had to go through a couple of obstacles.  There were at least four waves of runners, so there was lots of participation.  There were games set up for the old and young alike.  Edi and I participated in a word game where we were given a word written in tagalog.  We had to say the word as many times as we could within five seconds.  I said my word sixteen times, so I got to pick a prize - a chocolaty snack...

Saturday night was Rock Supremo.  Several rock bands performed and included songs they had written about the hero.  Most of the words were in Tagalog, but we enjoyed the music just the same...

Of course listening to rock bands stirs up the appetite, so we had some pizza at Nolita's.  Turns out lots of people were in the mood for pizza. The only available seats were at a communal table and there were no stools to sit on.  That was okay as the table was high and we could stand; however this guy offered his seat to me which was very nice.  Then this lady behind Edi told us that we could share their table.  About that time some people left and Edi was able to pull up a chair but we thanked the lady.  Ah, nice people in the world, gotta love it...

On Sunday we went to the parade - La Pareda de la Kalesa.  There were bands...

Flags...

Drummers...

And decorated kalesas -  they were beautiful...

We had a lot of fun - it was quite the festive weekend!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Being Thankful

The Thanksgiving Holiday just passed, and even though it is not celebrated here in the Philippines, I was greatly aware of all that I have to be thankful for.  I am thankful for the opportunity of living in a different country and seeing how another culture lives.  Although traditions are different, people are really the same.  We all try and make a living the best way we know how, we take care of day to day responsibilities whatever they may be, and we try to have a little fun.  On Thanksgiving day, Edi had to work, so it was just a regular Thursday here; however, I am thankful for Chuck's Deli which is right around the corner.  They make great sandwiches and soups, and they just so happen to have a sandwich called the Pilgrim on their menu.  This Pilgrim comes with all the trimmings: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and gravy.  So, after running a couple of errands, we stopped by Chuck's for sandwiches and onion rings...

I keep seeing this post on facebook that just because Thanksgiving is over, being thankful needs to continue.  I agree wholeheartedly!  I am thankful that I get to share this experience with Edi.  It seems that whatever we are doing whether it is enjoying a festival here,  running to the market and trying to cross the street, or taking Kona for a walk, we are having fun and laughing an awful lot.  I am thankful for technology - email, facebook, skype.  Technology is allowing me to keep in touch with my family and friends back home.  I absolutely love that I get to skype Mom and Dad every day and actually get to see them!

Every morning I begin my day with a reading in my Daily Guideposts Devotional.  The Bible verse on this year's bookmark reads, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thessalonians 5:18)  So, I give thanks for this opportunity, for all of the kind people who have helped us to get settled in here, for my family and friends that I love so much, for health and happiness... the list goes on and on :)