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Post by Rob Brown on May 3, 2011 9:18:15 GMT 8
After visiting Corregidor on the day trip 1 year ago, I found this website and have been reading it constantly. However, I just found the message board last week. I registered for it, but have not yet been approved (hopefully I will be soon).
A few weeks ago, I found myself fortunate enough to be returning to the Fils on May 16. My wife and I will be returning to Corregidor May 18-20 and plan to do a self-guided tour. There are many excellent posts on what to see, and I'm hoping this unique online community can help us further.
We plan to tour the tail section and follow the course of events after the Japanese landings in '42 and also our retaking the tail in '45. We also plan to get off the beaten trail on middleside and topside, and would love some pointers on points of interest.
To avoid trying to do too much in 2.5 days, our touring approach will involve going to specific sites described in detail by veteran accounts, and reading their testimonies as we stand in those places. Additional suggestions for veteran accounts are welcome.
We'd also like suggestions on how to get around, any people that may be helpful, and possible dangers (e.g. snakes, monkeys, etc.). We plan to use the Corregidor Inn drop off/pick up service, and hop on/off the tour trolleys as able. We're not averse to going though some minimal overgrowth to find something, but our preference will be for fairly accessible sites.
After studying the Pacific war and speaking with veterans for over 25 years, visiting Corregidor last year was a life-changing experience. In case anyone is concerned, we do not take this trip lightly, and my wife and I are going to celebrate the shared sacrifice of our nations and do our own little part to memorialize the events that took place. We can't wait!
Thanks!
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Post by EXO on May 4, 2011 10:07:05 GMT 8
Might be of a little interest but I have only declined one request for membership to date, and that because, by pure coincidence, the gentleman happened to share the same name as a well known historic personality. By reply to the poster, perhaps the Field Notes might give a good starting idea of what to visit. Other "set piece" suggestions are: - the walk up Malinta Hill
- going "up" the Golden Staircase
- walk through to the Wall of Caves
- down into James Ravine
- Btry James
- Way Hill
- C-1 and Tunnel
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Post by Rob on May 4, 2011 11:59:39 GMT 8
Thanks so much, EXO. All great suggestions. I had seen the Field Notes about the Navy tunnel and am very interested in seeing that area in particular.
As any can attest, there's so much to see and learn about at Corregidor that the hard part is narrowing to what you can do in a couple days. But I expect that this trip will just be the beginning of many more over the years.
I did see that my membership was approved. Many thanks.
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Post by fots2 on May 4, 2011 20:34:01 GMT 8
Hi Rob, I just got home from visiting Fort Wint in Subic Bay so here is a late reply for you. EXO has given you some ideas, I will just add to them. Your message says you plan to visit Corregidor Island from Wednesday, May 18th to the Friday, May 20th. Get confirmed reservations. What Sun Cruises calls “clustering” will start when passenger numbers drop as they do around this time of the year. This means that they have day trips and the Inn will be open only from Thursdays to Sundays. No trips or Inn open from Mondays to Wednesdays. I asked one of their employees today but they have not been given a date when this starts. It is usually in June but I am sure you don’t want any surprises. This is the hottest time of the year in the Philippines. The temperature the past few days has been 35 degrees C (95 degrees F). Factor in humidity that you may not be used to and it can get dangerous. Fort Wint (Grande Island) was so hot that when walking over a few sections of old paved road, I could feel heat radiating up from it under my chin. It is good that you are considering what you can realistically do in do in 2.5 days. As you say, consider this as your next trip, not your last trip. You may want to adopt a tropical schedule. Plan for the furthest or most difficult areas early in the morning moving back towards Bottomside. Some people quit by lunch time and relax in the hot part of the afternoon. I am rarely wise enough to do that. Most people know their limits anyway. Hopefully you will get a break with the weather. Using the Corregidor Inn vehicles (2) is a good idea but note that around ferry arrival and departure times, they are not available. No big deal, you can plan around that. On Tailside you can buy extra drinks at the Japanese Garden and at the Malinta Tunnel east entrance. On Topside there are also two locations for drinks, the Museum and at the Lighthouse. All these vendors close around 2pm if there is a day tour. If no day tour then they do not open at all so you have to carry everything you need to drink. Vendors on Bottomside are open every day. If you plan for some off road treks, bring cheap leather gloves and garden cutters/shears for the vines and thorny branches. Being flashlights for tunnels. In many areas you will be under monkey surveillance. I have never had any problem with them but surely do not recommend trying to get friendly with any of them. I hate snakes! They are a concern but not overly so. In fifteen years of exploring the island, I have seen four of five of them. The dangerous ones are afraid of humans and slither away. As you can imagine, I am told that stepping on one is not a great idea. The non-venomous ones (constrictors) do not move away but still avoid them. They are capable of giving a very painful bite. (Last month I came across a python coiled in the middle of a path). Walk fairly slow and watch where you are stepping, you will have no problem. This time of the year the ground vegetation is often dead plus the fallen leaves make your walking noisy. That is good for scaring any animals. The only exceptions are monitor lizards. They won’t harm you but the damn things wait until you are within 20 feet of them before they suddenly scurry off. The noise in the dead leaves just about gives you a heart attack. Don’t let any of this rambling affect your exploration of Corregidor Island. You will be returning to one of the most unique islands in the world. Have a great trip.
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Post by okla on May 6, 2011 3:54:26 GMT 8
Hey Fots....Your speaking of the heat, humidity,etc to Rob got me to thinking and in my humble, there is no better person to quiz than yourself....Is the temperature in Malinta uncomfortable at the hot time of year?? It's no big deal, but I was just wondering. Most cellers, basements, etc that I have entered or spent a bit of time in, during the hot months were cool enough to give a bit of relief. I remember my grandmother's root cellar was the place to be in the middle of an Oklahoma summer afternoon. I believe the Beloit Brother's book described the Malinta tunnel complex as being a hot, stuffy, smelly, fly infested "Hell Hole". All those people, jammed therein, would make a difference, but aside from them, I was curious as to learning if the place would have been reasonably comfortable, considering. Cheers.
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Post by The Phantom on May 6, 2011 6:51:13 GMT 8
Okla, not to steal fots thunder but in my experience the tunnels and caves have been anything but comfortable.
The island is one huge piece of volcanic rock which I think heats up under the sun and never really cools off at night. I think it may still be heating up from below also but can't prove it.
There are some tunnels that may be dangerous, the only one of I have been in was on the road up to Middleside, it was concrete bunker with 2 sets of steps going in from opposite sides and then another set going down into a large room. The air vent on top was blown up and no air seemed to be getting in. It was hot and there was carbon dioxide low to the floor. When in there I became light headed and had to leave and have not returned to that particular tunnel. There are old steel barrel barricade positions right in front of one of the entrances. Little help on this fots as to the correct location and it's function.
I have gone into a cave or tunnel to get out of the sun but that's about all you get, out of the sun. You are better off being under the trees where the wind is blowing some for any relief.
I have come out of numerous caves and tunnels dripping wet from the heat and humidity.
There are "dead zones" all over the island where no wind blows. Those are the places you need to move though as quickly as possible.
This last trip to Corregidor in January we were in a dead zone on the tail and I almost blacked out. I was seeing stars from heat and exertion. I had to drink 2 full Gatorade bottles and ate 2 power bars to recover sitting on the edge of an old 75 mm position. I had only been in the P.I. for a few days at this time and it was cool, ( the way fots and our fellow trekker from Alaska, courtesy of batteryboy, were looking at me, it like they were trying to figure out if they could carry me out of there. I noticed this and I said "throw me over the cliff and and let the fishermen find me!") I recovered enough to walk back myself.
Like fots said above the heat is a real concern.
I guess what I'm saying is know what you can do and what you can't. Have lots of drinks because you will sweat buckets and not just water, they sell Minute Maid orange juice which is a real treat and Gatorade, where fots described above. I bring powder Gatorade and mix it at the hotel.
The Hotel provides potable water in a water cooler in the hotel hallway you can use daily. I used to bring 5 or 6 huge bottles of water from Manila, that's a waste of time now.
Always have a backup flashlight with you, your main flashlight should be able to cover a wide area as the caves and tunnels are pitch dark in some locations.
Be sure anyone with you is also as prepared as you on your trips as you will need all of what you carry for yourself.
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Post by fots2 on May 6, 2011 17:34:16 GMT 8
Good suggestions Phantom, thanks for the input.
Okla, in our part of the world, a tunnel or cave is usually cool as you say. I was quite surprised to encounter the opposite here in the Philippines. No matter how hot it is outside, Corregidor tunnels are hotter and more humid. This also applies to the nearby Mariveles Navy tunnels. I learned that Mariveles has hot springs so Phantom is probably correct in that the source of this heat is volcanic. Corregidor and Caballo Islands are remnants of a volcano’s caldera.
The bunker with the CO2 that Phantom is referring to is just below Middleside. It is an underground magazine named “Site C”. A gun block for a 3-inch AA gun is nearby. (It was one of the original four AA gun locations built on Corregidor). Site A later became the location of Battery Boston. (1 gun block and underground magazine) Site B is all by itself to the north of Batteries Gruggs and Way. (1 gun block and underground magazine) Site D is on what we today call Denver Hill. (2 gun blocks, no magazine)
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Post by okla on May 7, 2011 1:43:56 GMT 8
Hey Guys....Thanks for the update/poop on the Tunnels. I still would be willing to make the "sacrifice" of spending a few hours in Malinta. Seriously...Trying to function and do your job in Malinta/Navy Tunnels, whether you worked in the Finance Section/Operations/Qyarternaster/Hospital,etc, it must have been a hell of an ordeal. I have heard/read that some personnel, after serving a few days,etc underground in Malinta, stated that they would rather take their chances Topside/etc, dodging bombs and shells, than being hunkered down in the Tunnel Complexes. Postscript..I picked up a few College Hours taking a couple of Geology courses as electives and that business of heat coming from below due to the Volcanic formations makes sense to me. Damned if Corregidor isn't the most interesting place on the planet. Thanks again for the "briefing". It is truly appreciated as is the usual case.
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Post by Rob on May 7, 2011 3:09:56 GMT 8
Thanks to everyone for your advice. This will be my 5th trip to SE Asia in April/May (incl. Corregidor in May last year), so I know how brutally hot it can get. Its easy to sit here in the Virginia springtime and get overly ambitious about what we'll be able to accomplish, but realistically, over the 3 days we'll be fortunate to get 8-10 good hours of touring before the heat takes its toll.
Fots, I've seen your travel reports on the tail and elsewhere and they are incredibly useful. Thanks for your advice- we'll heed all of it. The Inn did confirm our reservation, but it will be interesting to see how many people are staying over at this time of year.
Anyone have a favorite spot to watch the sun set? Is the lighthouse an option, or do they lock it up after the last trolley leaves?
One last thing, how easy is it to find the paths to the sites the EXO mentioned? Can anyone suggest a good map that includes the access to these sites? How much assistance with directions can we expect to receive from the Inn staff once we're there?
Thanks again for all the great advice.
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Post by fots2 on May 7, 2011 8:53:39 GMT 8
Hi Rob,
Send me an e-mail (fots2 AT hotmail.com) and I'll give you as much info as I can.
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