Corregidor Sunrise, Japanese Tunnels, The Rocket, ATV, & A Hike off the Beaten Path (Part 2)

Despite lack of sleep due to tiny, four-legged uninvited visitors, my adrenaline kept me full of energy for the early morning tour.  We left the inn around 5:30 am and were taken back to Topside where the Eternal Flame was located to witness sunrise.  Perched on the highest point of the island, the views of Bataan and the bay were amazing.  It was a windy morning, and the sun hadn’t shown itself yet.  Sadly, when the sun started to come out, our views were either obstructed by dark clouds or covered by the surrounding greens.  Nevertheless, a peaceful morning with such beautiful scenery is always a good start to a day.

Orange dressed sky to wake up to

After a while, our guide (sorry, forgot his name) led us on a short hike on an off-road forest trail.  It was a good 15 minutes walk with a few descents on slippery terrain until we got to one of the Japanese Tunnels.  Compared to the Malinta tunnel, Japanese tunnels are smaller with a low entrance; it’s also steeper as we had to use ladders and ropes to get in and out.  The tunnels were hidden in plain view and cleverly disguised as part of the jungle to trick the enemies.  When the Japanese were losing the war, the remaining soldiers continued fighting a lost cause with these tunnels as bases.  They sometimes made up explosive and blew up the tunnels killing the enemies and themselves in the process.  This kind of bravery and patriotism is truly admirable no matter which side you are looking from.

Still eerie even even during daytime

Entrance to the Japanese Tunnels

Ang taas at ang tarik papanik

We returned to the Inn around 8 am and decided to head straight for breakfast.  The free breakfast turns out to be a set meal of Corned Beef, Egg, Garlic Rice and Coffee.  Everything else on the menu was not available, how convenient for them.  As for the food, I’ve had better canned corned beefs than this, come to think of it, this probably was a cheap canned corned beef.

Buti na lang libre, puede na pag tiyagaan

Around 9 am, we all decided to do the free activities.  Up first, we tried The Rocket Zipline.  One ride costs P 100 pesos if not part of the voucher. Despite the name, it is zip line for beginners as it’s only a few feet high and moves at a leisurely pace for about 20 seconds.  Truthfully, I would skip this if it wasn’t free.

The baby rocket?

Pambata

Yes, swimming is allowed :)

Afterwards, the couple decided to go for a dip on the beach, Dan went back to the inn to rest while Ben & I went on a Walking Tour which costs P 250 each.  This was actually one of the highlights of the trip.  For a good 3 hours, we were able to go anywhere we wanted to in the island at our own pace but accompanied by a guide.  To start, we went back to the sites from yesterday which we were not able to fully explore.  I’ve always liked it better when I can explore privately, on foot, on my own time and without a clue where to go next.

Why bomb a cinema, why?!

Topside Open Field

Young Officers' Barracks

Satisfied with our re-visits and new photos, our guide suggested a hike to some of the more unknown sites in Corregidor.  Located deep in the jungles of  Topside is Battery Wheeler, a forgotten area that's slowly being overrun by the trees.  Unlike most of the popular tourist sites, Wheeler is largely untouched and still has  that rustic charm to it.  Vines and leaves have wrapped themselves on guns and staircases.  All around the Battery, all you see are trees.  Here's a place where you can get a real sense of danger as the structure has no support railings, there are open holes on the floor and sharp metals lie around everywhere.

Let the expedition begin!

Nature reclaiming the wreckage

Ganda parin tignan

After what seemed like an endless march, we found ourselves  at another Japanese tunnel, this was one of the more complex ones they built, as the entrance was smartly hidden, vents were used for light and oxygen and traps were placed in different parts of the tunnel.  Our guide also showed us some rare animal species living inside.

Our guide shared with us that most of these tunnels haven't been cleaned up and they are still able to dig up ancient items lying around.  In fact, he found an old coin which he kept as souvenir.

Watch your head!

Malalim

As we delve deeper into the Japanese defense, we were able to reach a cliff which was said to be the premier jumping point for soldiers who chose to die with honor.  Japanese Suicide Cliffs are spread out in Corregidor because for many of the soldiers, it was better to die than be captured by the enemy.  I can imagine that it's a painful way to die but one where you have your dignity in tact and where you take one last exhilarating dive to your demise.

Lost na si kuya

A Japanese Suicide Cliff

By this time I had already seen too many Batteries and so it was refreshing to see Battery Cheney, Corregidor's most authentic.  As you can see from it's color, it hasn't been through any renovation, it has aged gracefully over time.

Battery Cheney

Open crater souvenir sponsored by World War 2

We passed through some other sights but my faulty memory can't fully remember the information fed by the guide so I'l just let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Veranda which used to host a 3 inch gun (looted)

An Island where they kept wine and ammunition

May lumalangoy pa nga diyan

Bataan

The Last Battery I saw (forgot name)

And another tunnel...

Nails on the ceiling, debris on the floor

Heading out of Corregidor for good

We finished our hike around 12:30 noon and still had a little time to avail of our free 1 hour ATV Ride which would have cost P 500.  Now this is more like it for thrill seekers!  These little bumpcars on steroids move around fast, like real fast in a few seconds.  Despite the mid-day scorching heat, the wind was blowing past my face as I bounced around rocky roads and blazed through the obstacle course.  It is a fun and easy to learn activity albeit a dangerous one.  Because these things accelerate fast and reach blinding speed, it is easy to lose control and / or bump into large humps.  Also, there is a challenging stretch in the course with blind curves and crooked pavement where an accident is just waiting to happen.  Luckily we got through without any injuries and with only great memories about our experience.

I want to buy one

With just a few minutes left before the ferry arrived, we decided to have a quick lunch near the docks at the MacArthur Café.  There were items on the menu which looked promising like the sisig and tapsilog but they told us it would take some time to prepare.  We settled for two orders of pancit and got surprisingly large servings which were pretty cheap and tasted alright. 

Pag gutom ka, lahat masarap

These guys made the trip so much better, thanks :)

The Trip's Expenses: (P per person)

Voucher               2,275 (Day Tour, Night Tour, Overnight, Morning Tour, Breakfast, Lunch, Zip, ATV)
Boarding Fee          100
Parking                   300
Malinta Tunnel        200
Food                      500

Total P 3,375

I look back at my recent trip to Corregidor as mission accomplished.  I was able to see all the sights I could handle while really having a proper understanding of the island's war history.  It was a short trip from home, but a place that feels worlds apart from what I'm used to.

Each tour served a purpose, the day tour for sightseeing, the night tour for the experience and the morning tour to cover what's been missed out.  The adventure sports and beach activities offer diversion in the island ; a short break from all the geeky information.

I had more fun than I expected though, I went solo but never felt alone and I have my five fellow travelers to thank for sharing the experience with me.  I'm not the most sociable person in the world but swapping travel stories and engaging in random topics can also make a trip twice as good.

If only Sun Cruises was more competent; it's indeed a shame as the island has so much potential for tourism.  Better facilities, an aggressive promotion, opening new tours and  more competitive prices would make this place one of the must-visits in the country.  I mean, it's ridiculous that  most of Corregidor's visitors have come and gone and haven't seen the best sights in the island.  Instead what we get is a shabby operator charging exorbitant prices on a  rundown inn and running half-baked tours.  That's what the monopoly has done and we don't have a choice, it's either deal with them or don't go.  Just sad...

I leave Corregidor for a 2nd time; new memories in hand and my curiosity quenched.  Now more than Vg's line, I remember the island well.

Helpful Links:

Corregidor History
Corregidor Island