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Post by okla on Jul 24, 2011 1:11:05 GMT 8
Hey Will. ...Ole' Fots is continually coming up with good stuff. A hearty thanks to you for throwing more fuel on the fire pertaining to Battery Geary. It triggered Fots' vast store of information,etc into churning once again for all our enjoyment. Cheers.
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Post by darthdract on Jul 24, 2011 15:57:16 GMT 8
Do suncruises includes a trip to Battery Geary on their Day Tour I participated on a day tour once but we never passed by Battery Gearry. Does anyone have info if this is included in the Overnight package?
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Post by fots2 on Jul 24, 2011 18:28:49 GMT 8
Hi darthdract,
The subject of Battery Geary receives no more than a few words whether the bus stops on the road above the battery or occasionally directly in front of it. Passengers are not allowed off the bus in either scenario. Many times the battery is not even mentioned as the tour bus hurries from Topside back to Bottomside.
There is no tour that includes this battery. Your options are to get there on your own or to hire a Sun Cruises guide from the Corregidor Inn to show you around.
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Post by okla on Jul 24, 2011 23:37:51 GMT 8
Hey Fots....It is hard for me to accept that Battery Geary hardly gets even a footnote mention on the tours. That magazine explosion was one of the most remarkable events in the whole Corregidor senario. Like the Code Breakers site at Monkey Point being "shortchanged", in my humble, Battery Geary gets the same treatment. Maybe it's because neither site makes much sense to the average viewer, because it's so strewn out, etc, but this physical layout is due to the actual fighting and bombing,etc and to me that just makes it more interesting and should rate more explanation to the uninformed. Am I being unreasonable or what?
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Post by darthdract on Jul 25, 2011 4:59:51 GMT 8
^Good Point there Okla I agree it should be included in the tour. ok got to go for now I will be back later Cheers
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Post by fots2 on Jul 25, 2011 8:40:32 GMT 8
Okla,
Battery Geary is right beside the road between Topside and Middleside so it is already along the day tour route. I would not take much time for a quick stop to explain the history there.
One note though, that battery has not been sanitized for your average tourist. I would not let people wander around everywhere for safety reasons.
The tour bus guides use a microphone to help them tell their story to everyone. You can hear the buses coming before you can see them. Earlier this month I was near the battery for two days and only one guide had the driver stop in front of the battery for about a one minute talk. He did this both days and also continued on to Battery Crockett for a few minutes. Most guides do not take their tourists to that battery either. He finds the time so I don't know why the others do not bother.
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Post by westernaus on Jul 25, 2011 14:36:20 GMT 8
Hi Fots , Probably lack of historical knowledge of Corregidor by the tour guides. Unless they are tailoring different buses for different groups . I remember the Bus I did the tour on , they had a few rows of Koreans in the back and a Korean speaking guide as against the English speaking one up front . And they seemed to group up the Koreans and take them in a different direction when we stopped . Although when we went to Malinta tunnel my Nephew and My self became Koreans and trundled along behind the Koreans in the back tunnels .
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Post by fots2 on Jul 25, 2011 16:46:41 GMT 8
Hi westernaus,
The only group that gets regularly separated from all others is the Japanese tourists. Sun Cruises even has one guide that exclusively looks after them.
The guides do say that they cannot mix Koreans and Japanese or WWIII will break out. I have seen tourists on company outings, school trips or political groups stay together. I guess that makes sense. When I returned to Manila earlier this month there was a Philippines Senator and his staff on a special tour that day.
I will ask some of the guides why they do not often stop at Geary or Crockett and see what they say. I expect the answer will be lack of time.
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Post by wwalker on Jul 26, 2011 0:43:39 GMT 8
This is an interesting discussion about some of the tours done on "The Rock". I have been looking at video footage on youtube of some of these tours and out of the many tourist videos online, there is only (1) that shows them drive by Geary and stop for about 1 minute, giving brief note of the explosion on May 02, 1942.
I have a question for my own future reference when I get to travel to Corregidor:
Once you arrive on the island, can you hike around on your own without taking a bus tour?
As small as the island is, I think I would rather do my own traveling by foot, seeing the sites that I would like to see. It would be a huge let down to be limited to just the bus tour. Also, when making the trip to Corregidor, do you stay in Manila and then take the ferry to Corregidor? Or can you actually stay on Corregidor?
Will
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Post by The Phantom on Jul 26, 2011 4:48:22 GMT 8
I will comment on how to best see Corregidor at your own pace if I may fots.
The Day Tour run by Suncruises does a good job giving a basic look at Corregidor in the small amount of time available.
There is actually a lot to see and you are only on the island from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm on most trips.
Most tourists want the basic sites, a good lunch, and get me back to Manila on time.
Those of us who participate in this website are a different breed.
Those few who are lucky enough to get to Corregidor should spend at least 3 nights there to truly see the sights on your own or with the benefit of a tour guide.
There is a very good Hotel on the island and a couple other locations to stay.
Food at the Hotel is good and the view on the veranda is amazing. You can also eat at a few other locations on Bottomside.
You can go most places on your own but you must follow the warning signs. There are some buildings you must stay out of for example, falling cement.
Don't do something stupid and ruin the experience for all by falling though a shell hole in a barracks floor, etc.
Don't feed the poisonous SNAKES.................
Leave the Monkeys alone.............
Best to travel the island with a buddy and watch where you walk, see the photos this site of open manholes 20 ft deep, etc.
A cautious overnight-er can see so much of the island that you will try to come back as often as you can.
Leave the island as you find it, no digging, no metal detectors. The value of the island is it's place in Philippine, and U.S. History.
Read books on Corregidor before going to better understand what you are seeing and know there are few WWII sites in the world that offer what Corregidor still does.
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