Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island starts this Feb 2013

There’s a new adventure that comes with some history lesson that will be launched this coming February 2013, it’s a tour that will take you to a remote island just an hour away from Manila. It’s the nearest island that we can visit regularly if you have the budget and time, and it’s the most affordable getaway for other people if they want to relax, enjoy the sun, do some water sports activity or try to learn and feel what was like during the year when the Philippines is invaded by the Spanish, Americans and Japanese.

It’s the only place with its own story that changed our nation and also a perfectly preserved structures that looks like it happened yesterday.

Yes, I’m talking about Corregidor island
an island that faced the wrath of World War II

here in this blog, I used a brand new Olympus EPL-3, I borrowed it from my sister, just to test drive and see how I'll be comfortable using a mirrorless camera.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Yeah, its an island, so what ?
It doesn’t have any white sand or foreigners walking along the bay wearing their bikinis, there’s no night life or disco, or parasailing couples doing their own photo ops while on air. Its an island that 2 countries want to conquer and it all started here. From a far, Corregidor is peaceful as it seems with breath taking view above the mountains and a nice breeze of air coming from the other side of China Sea. Corregidor is a place that you should visit, especially if you are near Manila.


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Sun Cruises is the only ferry and tour operator for Corregidor island, it’s the only service that transport everyone going to that island. They are located at the other side of Harbour Square in CCP Complex, right after the Folks Art Theater. They are here for years and still operating at full blast. Sun Cruises is the official ferry transpo and tour organizer for Corregidor.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks is the guy who is known as the China man of Binondo, he’s the guy who tours around the tourist in Binondo and Intramuros. My first sightings of Ivan 5 years ago, is that there’s this guy talking to a lot of tourist carrying this file folder with photos of Old Manila. Its great to see that someone is sharing the history of Old Manila and many pinoys really don’t know or not aware of it. Then his popularity went boom as he tour Anthony Bourdain for his tv show in TLC around Old Manila to try different food and share a part of our history.

Ivan and his Old Manila Walks tour went as far from Manila and now started his first tour outside the city and landed him in Corregidor, to show us the different side story of the island. Not just about World War II, there are also some stories that are not present in our text books that occur after the war and also happened years ago, hmmm. Are you curious about that..

if yes,..
then try the collaborative tour event by Old Manila Walks and Sun Cruises
titled “Of Bombs, Big Guns and Lost Gold: WWII Tales Declassified


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Here’s the poster of “Of Bombs, Big Guns and Lost Gold: WWII Tales Declassified” tour
It’s a half day tour that you’ll enjoy with lots of adventurous walking and a slice of history about the struggle of our country with the Spanish, Americans and Japanese. Corregidor is considered as a stronghold and defense for Manila, as it blocks off incoming invaders via ship that targets to invade Manila. During the Spanish time, Corregidor is also a place where ship captains visit and show off their passport before entering the county.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Me with some media, got invited to try first the tour with Old Manila Walks, I’m so excited about this because I super enjoy Ivan’s tour and also his chat about our history, his presentation to us is provided with hard copy of images, old photos, maps and funny visuals that makes you feel being part of that history. Think of that you are in a movie and you are part of story. Because their tour is much different from the traditional bus tour organized by Sun Cruises. No long bus ride around the island, no super long chit chat, no sweaty pants, all are explain in a condensed manner and you got more time to do photo op with the background and also you’ll walk in the war torn terrain.

Imagine… you walking in the forest, climbing up a hill, roaming around a war torn hospital and barracks, and enter a tunnel that is haunted by ghosts forever. yikes…

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
We boarded the Sun Cruises ferry and we left Manila at 8am, here’s a good view of Manila

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
I was seated and enjoyed the company with my blogger friends,then I didn’t even felt that we are already sailing

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Here’s our seat on the upper deck of the ferry

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
It’s a one hour ride, or less, and here they air some Corregidor story on TV and also some documentaries about the island

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
I launched my Apple Maps on my iPhone4s just to map where we are and how far the island is.
Its cool to watch this minutes after minutes.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
The glorious part inside the ferry is that they sell food hahahaha. I didn’t ate my breakfast that morning and at the food booth I ordered a hot beef noodles and then bought some hotdog sandwich.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
We landed in Corregidor island and here we are welcomed with garbage floating by the bay, those garbage came from Manila.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
We rode the Tranvia-like bus, they use this to tour around the island

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
yeabahhh!!!! this is my 2nd time here in Corregidor island and I’m excited to visit the place again

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
the mountain view of the island, I’m glad that we got a nice cloudy weather that day, when I visited this island 2 years ago, it was freaking hot during summer.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Our first stop is here in the light house, which is considered as one of the oldest lighthouse

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
war and bomb torn structures are seen already as we tour around, they are bombed by the Japanese
and lots of Americans and also Filipinos died here in Corregidor.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
This is the main office in Corregidor, nearby are the town where married soldiers are accommodated.


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Its scary to see the destruction

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Here’s the Cine Corregidor or main theater, now supported by iron bars as it will help to stood still as time passes by, 2 years ago those iron bars are not yet present. You can see that the structures are starting to deteriorate year after year.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Inside the theater, I think this is my favorite structure in Corregidor

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Iron bars can be seen here

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Here’s a view inside the barracks

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Behind me is a swimming pool


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
creepy 2nd floor, I took many photos and wish for a luck to capture a ghost

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
The walk started from cemented road to a grassy road to no road

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
A view inside the battery room,its my 1st time to take this photo and its so creepy inside. They store ammunitions here that is build 2-3 years

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Guns that can shoot out of the island

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
solid bar


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
My view on top of the cannon gun

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
More walks afterwards and I started to feel…an adventure!


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
The hospital - one of the spookiest location

check the video here of one of the tourist just captured a ghost in video, the ghost appeared on the right side near the end of the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8_gVo0Qb7Lc

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Inside the hospital


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Vandalism is bad for the structure, but here’s a vandal that shows some history lesson, now perfectly preserved and looks like it was written yesterday. Names of muslim soldiers are posted here to tribute their mission that might change the country’s agenda, but too bad, all of them are killed. This vandal will immortalize their bravery for the country.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Light and Darkness

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Going out now from the hospital

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
The backside of the barracks

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Going up hill – this is the most tiring part. hahahahaha I hate stairs!

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Ivan is an awesome guide, armed with a portable mic and speaker, we can roam around and listen to his talks

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Guns, bullets, bombs and dead buildings are still here in Corregidor
and yes…gold and silver coins are also still here
finders keepers!

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
with travel blogger friends Byahilo and Pusang Kalye
Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Behind the scene shoot with Byahilo

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Panoramic view of the hospital

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Memorial donated by the US government ages ago


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
After the end of tour, we went to Corregidor inn and there we ate our lunch
then we got an offer for another extra activity, we can choose if we want to tour inside Malinta Tunnel, a different tour and not the light and sound show, or we can just chill out go swimming, do kayaking or zipline, additional fees are required for this extra activities, the zipline cost at P150. Just ask Ivan for the booking.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Going to Malinta Tunnel. Americans and Filipino soldiers, nurses and officials stayed here when Japanese bombed the island, many died and after it was captured by the Japanese, they stayed here too and then Americans bombed them too and many Japanese soldiers died. Gen. Douglas McArthur stayed here and uses a small tunnel for an escape going to Australia, where he mentioned “I shall return!” and brought back lots of offensive attack against the Japanese.

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
For the light and sound tour, you are not required to wear hard hat helmets and bring a flashlight, here in our tour, we went inside the tunnel and walk all the way to the end, it’s a freaky and scary tour for me and its my first time walk in a tunnel. There are times that we put out the flashlight and felt how soldiers live there without lights. Also we felt lots of ghost presence here..so beware!


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
One of the tunnel that suffered a blast

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Our tour guide here is Mang Conrado

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
Entering the deep tunnel, I bump my head to a lower rocky ceiling and I’m glad that I’m wearing a helmet


Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
hahahaha here’s prank inside the tunnel

Old Manila Walks tour in Corregidor island
The tour – “Of Bombs, Big Guns and Lost Gold: WWII Tales Declassified” by Old Manila Walks is a special tour for first timers who don’t want to get tired around the island, since the bus tour is very tiring and covered the whole island for a day, but with this tour, you can get a nice feel of the island for a half a day only and you’ll still enjoy some leisure activities such as kayaking, swimming or zipline. For old timers, it is also recommended, because there’s this part of the tour that are not covered by the bus tour, for my experience, I still enjoyed this and I prefer this tour with Old Manila Walks.

here are some FAQ about this tour

1..What is this tour and how is this different from the regular Sun Cruises bus tour?

'Of Bombs, Big Guns and Lost Gold: WWII Tales Declassified ' is the 6th installment in the Old Manila Walks historical tour series. This is a collaboration between Corregidor's main logistical and tour provider, Sun Cruises and Old Manila Walks- the city's leading historical/cultural tour outfit. Unlike the bus tour which takes you on a general overview of the whole island, this historical hike is essentially concentrated on the war memorial zone (aka the historic core) of the island and uses this setting as a backdrop in the discussion of the WWII theme of the walk.

This tour provides for a broader,more chronological, contextual, insightful and perhaps even critical understanding of WWII in the country through the use of creative visuals backed by a multi-discilpinary approach to historical interpretation (e.g. combining millitary as well as social,cultural and architectural history).

It's an exercise for both the body and for the mind. ;op
For the visitor to Corregidor, this tour also provides for more personal flexibility (tour ends at 12:30 PM and boat leaves at 2:30 PM) to explore more of the island attractions and its various 'after-walk activities' that can be done at leisure (see below).

2. How much is the tour?
P1,750.00/head and is inclusive of the following: Guided tour, Ferry Transfers and Island Entrance Fee. Buffet Lunch at Corregidor inn is OPTIONAL(not inclusive) and maybe availed prior at P450.00/head. Plated lunch options available too.

3. Is the Malinta Tunnel Walk included in walking tour package?
No, it is not. The Malinta Tunnel Walk (P150.00/head) is an 'after-walk' optional activity offered by Sun Cruises that you can avail immediately after lunch. It also includes zip-lining , kayaking, ATV-riding and swimming (rate's vary). These maybe booked prior or on the spot. It is recommended that the Malinta Tunnel Walk be booked prior due to guide availability.

4. When will tour be offered?
We're looking at February 2013 with initial runs every weekends (Sundays), please email fun@oldmanilawalks.com for details.



For inquiries and reservations
you may contact

www.OldManilaWalks.com
email: fun@oldmanilawalks.com
mobile : +63918-962-64-52 (that's +63918-9Manila)
landline : (632) 711-38-23