corregidor: the rock that ROCKS!!!

i had a wonderful saturday, spent with my travelling pals. and we went to corregidor! i've wanted to go there for the longest time, but couldn't find anyone to take time to go with me. but finally, finally, melanie decided she wanted to spend her birthday there. and of course, i jumped at the chance!
so we boarded the ferry at CCP at 7:45 am. but we left land around 8:15. the boat was clean and pleasant. it took us an hour to get to our destination. it was an interesting ride, although it got kind of weird during the last 15 minutes, when 1 of the guides started doing a stand-up comedy version of the history of the philippines. i don't know where he got his facts, but he said stuff like "before the spaniards came to the philippines, we were all muslims!" duh?! we immediately decided we would avoid being in his tour bus at all costs.
thankfully, we finally arrived at the port, and the place took my breath away! lush forests, blue waters, a beautiful sky. it had all the makings of a great day!
we proceeded to choose our tranvia--cute!--#6, with our guide, armand, and driver, orly! we immediately liked him, because he was so animated. he memorized speeches of mcarthur and quezon. wow! that inspired me even more to become a tour guide.
armand explained that corregidor island was shaped like a tadpole, and that we would be making our way from the head to the tail.

at the ruins


with melanie


we went to several battery areas, stopped for 10 to 15 mins. at each place to explore and take pictures. thank God for my new digicam! i love it!!! and i'm investing in a memory card with humongous memory very soon. for sure!
i love being in the midst of ruins. somehow, i can see in my mind's eye how the buildings looked long ago, and how people must have lived then. we went to the pacific war museum. and the dome where, every may 6 at 12 noon, the sun is supposed to shine exactly at its center, and light up this big marble thing. i can imagine how amazing it would be.
we also went to a spanish memorial, with a nice-looking lighthouse. the view was 360 degrees around the island and beyond.

with cecilia


what moved me most was the light-and-sound experience at the malinta tunnel. it was so well-done and really made me feel how daily life must have been there, and also the desperation the people must have felt during the war. the intricate network of tunnels was really cool.
then, it was off to lunch at corregidor inn. it was a pleasant experience, the food was good, and we could relax our exhausted feet.
after lunch, we went off to the japanese memorial. (btw, the japanese-guided tour supposedly glosses over gory details of the japanese occupation, and simply focuses on stats of jap armed forces posted in corregidor at the time.) had my photo taken near this statue that supposedly combined the buddha with the mary with child. interesting.
at the cool buddha-meets-mary and child

last stop was a memorial inaugurated in the 90's, with murals of important revolutions. very meaningful. but darn, it was so hot. the view though was something else! everywhere in that place has an AMAZING view. too bad, it's a national shrine, so there are no residents there apart from the people who work there.
i find that wherever i go (as long as it's outside metro manila), i want to live and settle.
anyway, i will definitely be back there. we'll try the trekking tour next time. or camping. or at least for overnight. the day tour was exhausting but really worth it.