On Thursday morning we woke up at 4:40am to get ready to leave for Corregidor Island on the ferry in Manila. Traffic is so bad that it's easier to leave early, and is pretty much the only way we can be on time for anything.
Corregidor Island, for those who don't know, was a highly bombed island during WWII, and is the place where the American cemetery is located. It is the island where General MacArthur said, "I shall return" to liberate the Filipinos from the Japanese. For those who like to study the Pacific Theater (WWII in the Pacific Islands and Asian countries), this is a very important place for both Filipino and American history. As this small island is located in Manila Bay, it became a strategic point for invading naval forces so they could reach Manila.
The island is now run by tour buses, so we didn't have to walk everywhere. The island is also shaped like a tadpole, so the different sides are called "the topside" and "tailside." The ferry ride took about an hour and a half, so hopping on the ferry is like going to the Channel Islands in Southern California.
The island was completely destroyed during the bombings, and everything has now grown back into a forest. According to the tour guide, there is or was a bomb hole every twenty feet on the island. All that's left of the American and Filipino camps are crumbling ruins, which are riddled with bomb holes. The coolest ruins, in my opinion, are the Topmile Barracks. At one time, Corregidor was host to the largest soldiers' barracks in the world, called the "Top Mile" Barracks, which are literally about a mile long.
They are huge, which is why I thought they were so cool. Other things you can see are old cannons and guns that have been repainted and face toward the Pacific. The weather was pleasant for most of the day, but then got hotter once it reached the afternoon. There are memorials all over the island for the Americans, Filipino and even Japanese soldiers who died during the war.
The Filipino war memorial is the biggest and most interesting one, as the whole memorial is dedicated to Filipino history. There are statues representing important rebellions against foreigners in Filipino history, and goes up to Filipino independence. The American memorial erected a statue of an American soldier carrying a wounded Filipino soldier in front of the domed alter of peace, which is before another statue of an eternal flame.
Corregidor was one of the places I really wanted to visit during my short stay here, and I'm very glad I was able to go. It may not be as interesting for some people unless you are interested in history, but I find WWII memorials to be one of the most memorable places to visit. It's hard to imagine that the overgrown forests full of native bougainvillea, traveler's palms, and trailing purple flowers did not exist after the bombings. Until you see the native fauna growing through the cracks in the collapsed barracks, then you understand that all of those things you learned in your world history class actually happened. If you plan to visit Manila, I recommend Corregidor. While you can only go via a guided bus tour (which doesn't give you enough time to wander around), it is still a great place to visit.
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