Sun Cruises Ferry where there's actually a safety lecture! I shouldn't be surprised, if any place needs safety guides it's the Philippines. Too many ferries sink on a regular basis here. But this trip was on a rather nice boat, with a/c.
Nicholas with his gratis PikNik potato strings. The snack trolley ladies thought he was cute.
All lined up and waiting to depart. The trip lasts about an hour and ten minutes. We hit a small rain storm on the way so it took a little longer. Sitting indoors down a level, the rocking got to us. Rebecca got sick, Katherine and I held ourselves together as best we could though she got pale. The little boys did the best of all of us.
On the island in the open air bus.
We swung by this statue of General Macarthur, departing the island.
He left to go to Australia to manage the Pacific theater during WWII
Hundreds of Japanese died on the island as well. They have a Memorial Garden in the Drop Zone where Americans parachuted in on the final assault to reclaim Corregidor.
A photo of a photo. Ft. Drum, also known as El Fraile, a tiny rock island off the coast of Corregidor. During WWI it was chipped and chiseled then doused with diesel and burned. It was actually functional, with 4 levels and working guns and from Corregidor and the sky it looks exactly like a ship at sea.
The "disappearing battery". Ten inch guns on Hydraulic lifts to rise up and sink down as needed.
The best preserved batteries on the island in Battery Way. The building on the left housed munitions. None of the guns work anymore. They were intentionally left non-functional when the Japanese took over the island.
During WWI the Malinta Tunnel was built. It had several functions including 1000 bed hospital, headquarters for General Macarthur and residence for President Quezon.
Right through a solid volcanic rock wall, it has 24 laterals off the main tunnel. Begun in 1922, the tunnel was begun by prison labor and eventually took 10 years to complete.
One of the open tunnels. Jonathon was not at all pleased with our tour there. Each time Ian veered him toward one he'd start yelling "No! No tunnel daddy!" Poor kid was traumatized. If you take the night tour, it includes the hospital ward.
Bombed out building. Plenty of those, including the mile long barracks (not quite a mile long).
The movie theater.
The last movie shown here was Gone with the Wind.
A statue depicting an American soldier aiding a Philippine soldier. I believe in Kissimmee, FL is the sister statue of a Philippine soldier aiding an American.
The "Aviary" where the kids petted a monkey. Next to the little miserable zoo were the military tennis courts under which was the freshwater supply. There is no freshwater on Corregidor, all of it is brought in from Cavite and Bataan. The tennis courts were a favorite target for the Japanese but it was never hit.
In front of the disappearing battery, you can see the Bataan peninsula in the background. Bataan surrendered a month before Corregidor and all the soldiers rounded up by the Japanese were put on the march from Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, ~60 miles away. The Bataan Death March started with 76,000 American and Filipino soldiers and ended at Camp O'Donnell with 50+thousand remaining. Many thousands more would die in prison from malnutrition, dehydration, disease and poor treatment. Many of the survivors from the camp were shipped out as slave labor around Asia.
Trust me, it's fascinating stuff and I'll bet you didn't learn it in your History class in High School.
Lunch at Corregidor Hotel. It was tame Filipino food with a view of the Malinta tunnel from our table.