Corregidor: The Color of Autumn, The Scent of Summer
Corregidor was my
favorite part of the field trip. The island was just so scenic and peaceful,
despite the fact that it had seen the blood sheds of wars. The island was the
color of autumn and the scent of summer. The trees and the ambiance felt like I
was someplace else, outside the country, experiencing fall for the first time.
The sea and the waves gave out a summery effect to the place. The half day wait
to ride the ferry to the island was all worth it after seeing only the port.
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| Does it look like we're still in the Philippines? haha |
The island was
full of ruins and canyons everywhere, which reminded me of how things were
in the past. It just made me thankful that we are not experiencing what they
had to go through before. With the wars, and the bombs and people fighting for
their lives and for the country, you just can’t help but secretly thank that
you are living in a peaceful era.
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| What is left of what used to be barracks |
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| The island's shape according to our guide, Uncle Bob, was that of tadpole. Uncle Bob, by the way happened to found
the burial site of Japanese soldiers. At first I thought he was joking, but in
our next stop, we saw the proof that he really did found it. It was just
amazing to be in the company of such a great man. Though he was credited for
the discovery, he received not a penny from it from either the Philippine or
Japanese government. |
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| The Filipino American Friendship Statue |
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| The Eternal Flame of Freedom |
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| An old cannon, overlooking the sea. Oh, how peaceful it looks now! |
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| It's almost sunset and the aura of autumn just got stronger :) |
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| My beloved Scions 09. |
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| I shall return. - Gen. MacArthur |
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| Me and my roommates who cramped ourselves in a room good for five because we just so love each other. haha. Did I mention that we're 9 in the room? Yeah, we're awesome like that! :) |
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| The Malinta Tunnel. |
Our last stop was
the Malinta Tunnel. We experienced the lights & sounds and sculptural show. It was my first
time to be in a tunnel, and given the fact that it had been a hiding place
during the war, I expected to have goosebumps. Good thing though, the running
and fast tracked show kept me too occupied to notice anything out of the
ordinary. The show was good and like the lights and sound show in Luneta, it
was made possible by the efforts of the highly esteemed National Artists. Perhaps, it was their way of making people
pay attention to and appreciate our history, without the typical boring and
sleepy lectures in history classes.
I was glad that
Corregidor and its beauty are preserved. It still had that historic feel even after
all the years that had passed. To me, the whole island felt like a museum, rich in
history and stories to tell.
Credits: Thanks for Elmark, Lecza and Jessel for the pictures of me and the rest of the group, as well as the Malinta Tunnel and MacArthur :)
