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Post by beirutvet on Jul 12, 2014 4:02:07 GMT 8
Hey guys! saw the zip line on my last visit to The Rock, 4/13. Not much to get in an uproar over, though I agree commercialism should be viewed skeptically unless drawing more dollars (pesos) for preservation, as history means EVERYTHING to me as it seems to for everyone here. The line starts at the rear and below street level behind the hotel and ends well short of the beach. It is not very visible at all, in fact you would have to know where it is to even see it. It does NOT detract from the view of anything and in fact I had to be led to where it started for I didn't even know where it was even though I had been on the island for 3 days when deciding to try it. Never been on a zip line before, so I have nothing to compare it with. It was a fun thing to try once and after walking away from it, it was out of sight, out of mind.
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Post by okla on Jul 12, 2014 21:37:14 GMT 8
Hey Beirutvet....Thanks for the update. It is of some comfort to know that Zip Line is "outta sight". That's the main thing. If it brings in a couple of bucks (pesos,etc) for the "upkeep" of Corregidor, then I suppose we can all live with the fact that this monstrosity exists on this sacred ground. Cheers.
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Post by The Phantom on Jul 13, 2014 20:44:00 GMT 8
Beirutvet, I'd like a few updates on the Zip-line if you don't mind, since you are a recent user. Where did the people come from who put you on the Zip line, the Hotel staff? How much is it now for the ride? Do you sign any sort of paperwork before using it? Is there still a "catcher" on the stand at the other end? Are the 4 wheelers and kayaks still parked near the end of the Zip-line under the trees? Did you notice the condition of the Zip Line equipment, well oiled and painted?
Thanks for your time, welcome to the site.
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Post by beirutvet on Jul 14, 2014 0:18:24 GMT 8
Hey Okla and Phantom
I have a short video of my ride and would be glad to post it so you can see it. However, I will need help with it since when it come to technology, I am barely one level above an Amish elder during a power failure. It catches a glimpse of the starting point as I swung around so you can see that it is hidden from view if you are at the hotel.
Don't mind giving updates at all. The hotel staff were the ones who put us on the ride. If I remember correctly it was only 150 pesos I don't remember signing any paperwork, but this was over a year ago, may have, just don't remember. Yes, there is a catcher at the other end to keep you safe and help you get unbuckled. Don't remember seeing ANY 4 wheelers or kayaks near the end of the line. I seem to remember them somewhere on the island on my first visit 1/11, but don't remember where. Condition of equipment was very good. As you will see from the video it is a double cable system for safety.
Nice to know people care and participate in this site
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Post by The Phantom on Jul 14, 2014 6:17:38 GMT 8
Thanks for the update on the Zip line.
Glad it is safe, typhoons hit that area hard sometimes, and metal in the tropics, especially right by the sea shore, need constant upkeep. I thought the price was P300.00, maybe few takers at that price, P150.00 is reasonable. The Hotel staff on Corregidor were always top notch in the past.
Was the menu on the verandah to your liking, varied at all?
The Hotel Verandah, not a better place to start a morning with a good cup of coffee at 6:00 am, views of both straits, north and south of Corregidor.
Yellow and black Baltimore Orioles chirping in the trees near the Hotel.
A days trip to plan.....friends to meet.... bacon, eggs, and hash browns, toast with only MANGO jam available usually,( E.X.O. reference there, only MANGO again?). Huge ships, usually passing by the Bataan side, in clear view with a pair of Binoculars.
Usually cloud covered Mount Mariveles on Bataan. Is Fort Drum visible on the Cavite side? If so a clear day ahead probable..............
Are the flags flying in front of the Hotel? Any? All?, or is one in particular missing due to WWII American veterans visiting the island?
Were any flags flying when you went this last trip? Was the water running down the wall, to the right of the steps, as you went up the steps into the Hotel entrance proper?
Lots of questions huh?
thanks in advance............
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Post by beirutvet on Jul 14, 2014 7:24:18 GMT 8
Howdy Phantom
Glad to share my info with anyone, especially those so very interested in these things.
First off, maybe you would consider my opinion to be biased, but I consider that veranda to be one of my favorite places in the WHOLE world. You are right, no better place to start the day, but also no better place to end the day. To sit there and remember what a paradise the place was in its day and today as well. To contemplate the conflict and it's aftermath. To meditate on the history that went down there while enjoying the cool breezes off the bay over a couple of cold San Migels while watching the sunset and seeing the thunderstorms gathering over Mt Mariveles. It is not difficult to see those storms and think of the same storms of steel and hot lead rained down by the empire of Japan. Seeing the flashes of lightning, it does not take a lot of imagination to think of those same flashes being artillery some 72 years distant, and wonder what it would be like to be the recipient of that fire, and say a prayer for those who were.
I asked my wife, and she remembers it being 150 pesos as well, maybe you were thinking 300 for two?
The menu was varied if not a mystery in some respects. One example was 'Southwest Chicken' which just begged the question, southwest where? Southwest Luzon? southwest America? Southwest Georgia? I had to order it and found it unremarkable but I do not expect the restaurant on Corregidor to be very familiar with Fried Chicken American style. The food was good and plentiful but not 5 star by any stretch. But then again, you do not go to a place like that for the 5 star amenities and food. You go there to see history, and you can never be disappointed in that respect.
Yes, all the flags were flying, at least all flag poles had a flag on it.
I don't remember any water running down the side wall, there could have been, I just don't remember, and I usually notice things like that so maybe it has been fixed.
And I don't mind answering any of your questions, Corregidor being one of my favorite topics
Paalam
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Post by The Phantom on Jul 17, 2014 5:34:22 GMT 8
Wonder how Corregidor fared during Glenda?
All you say is true about the Veranda in the Evening also, don't see it much then I'm so tired from a full day of exploring I sometimes don't even make dinner.
I had the Southwest chicken also, not good, maybe the chickens are from the the Battery Wheeler area...... If you can get them to fry the chicken in coconut oil, no spices please, now that's good chicken.
I have not seen the flags fly for a few years now.
The water on the wall I'm talking about was a recent addition by a former Hotel manager. He had flooded the area below the concrete railing to the right, going up to the Hotel entrance and had strung pipes along the top of the wall, just below the above windows, so it would drip down and keep his wall attached orchids alive. He had stocked the water below with Coy fish.
He had also brought mosquitoes to an area that had never suffered from them before. A little Dengue fever anyone?
I ask about the food because sometimes I stay there for 10 days at a time. They have the ingredients from the lunches they cook, the pork, beef and chicken, veggies. They used to have some really good food on request, hard to get now. Lechon Cawali comes to mind. That's (oh so bad for you) deep fried pork! Also mango shakes after a long walk, amazing. I started bring my own mangoes because if the water is rough between Corregidor and Bataan, the food boat doesn't go for supplies.
They can't eat the vegetables they grow on Corregidor because the monkeys come down at night and eat all they plant! To many monkeys on Corregidor.
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Post by beirutvet on Aug 27, 2014 8:07:44 GMT 8
Hey Phantom
Got any details on that Lechon Cawali you mentioned? I am always up for food that is not good for me. And I had never had anyone so much as MENTION mango shakes or that would have been my drink of choice for lunch, saving the San Migs for dinner,,,,,oh what the hell, a shake before the San Migs at dinner would be OK, too.
You mention staying there for 10 days at a time, do you live in the Philippines? I would love to stay there for an extended period like 10 plus days, but when the trip is only 15-16 days total, it is tough to do most all of it on Corregidor. If it were up to me I would spend it all on The Rock, but family would probably disown us if we did.
I had no idea the monkeys were a problem for the inhabitants. How did they get there in the first place? I would think that the war would have pretty much wiped them out. Were they intentionally imported to the island? And if so, for what purpose? You guys would know that kind of stuff for sure. You have been there in one stretch more days than my 5 days over 2 trips. What a fascinating place that island is!
I wish I had known about this site and you guys BEFORE my last trip there when we spent 4 days there. The whole time I was there it felt like there was so much there just out of my sight and awareness and I would have killed for some guidance from someone to point the way. But I just didn't know who to ask or even what to ask for. LIKE MANGO SHAKES!
Thanks for your time
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