Corregidor: A Walk Through the Ruins

At P500 a night, The Lodge accommodation already provides a full bed for two regular-sized adults, an extra bed, and own bathroom. One needs not be very picky to survive a bathroom that only has a curtain for a door. The place has no canteen but it has a little pantry, such that, if you need to drink hot coffee and make payments early at dawn, you just have to wake the attendants to get all that done.

As soon as everyone has packed, we hailed a trike for P40 to get us to the Cabcaben Pier. We were told that the earliest time boats are available is 5am. We got there at 5:30am and were told to wait for the owner of the boat so we can make the necessary negotiations for the price. While waiting, we watched the gradual appearing of sunrise until its full encompassing glare. Just somewhere in one of the junctions of the street stretching from the baywalk, we got excited by the smell of hot arroz caldo. We bought and ate their local produce for breakfast to store enough energy for the anticipated journey to the historic Corregidor Island.

Here are the prices of my energy boosters:
 Arroz Caldo (rice congee) - P20
 Puto (rice cake) - P10
 Malagkit - P6
 Biko - P6

Take-out snacks: Mr. Chips (P20) and Mineral Water (P15).

CABCOR (Cabcaben-Corregidor Motorboat Association) is a cooperative for the seafarers whose motorboats are rented and hired for a trip to and fro Corregidor and Bataan. They are responsible of regulating the standard rental fees of the said motorboats. In as much as we would have wanted our route to proceed from Corregidor to Manila, we were unable to insist since the trips going to Manila are monopolized by Sun Cruises. We sealed Bataan-Corregidor-Bataan negotiation at P3000 for 1 motorboat.

After being at sea for over an hour, we docked at the port of Corregidor. From afar, one could already sense the quietness and almost deadening silence that only the splashing waves seem to break. We may have been the earliest tourists that day.

An entrance fee of P150 per person is collected inside the ticketing office. The hourly rate for the jeepney transport cost us P800 which already covers the major spots in the entire island. More than the boat ride, the jeepney experience was both arduous and fun. My only problem then was the limited time we were given per stop. Because we hired it only for an hour, the driver was very stringent in terms of time compliance that it kind of pissed me off. There were so many great places in the island to take pictures of but 5-minute stops are hardly enough to get creative juices to work. Nonetheless, I decided to shake the frustrations off by moving fast, covering as far as I can get myself with the 5-minute allowance and shooting trigger-happily.

Our last stop was near the back part of the Mile-long Barracks. We entered the museum to get a glimpse of the islands history and gain understanding of the reasons behind the war that happened a long time ago which left 900 dead and 1,200 wounded from the Japanese troop and 800 dead and 1,000 wounded from the US and Filipino defenders. (1) Although the Japanese have seiged Corregidor, the effort put in by both our local troop and American allies have definitely delayed their scheduled attack to other nations like Australia.

These preservation of remains and ruins of the past has allowed us a peek to the struggles our descendants had to go through to win freedom for all. They have not ceased to assert their ownership of the Philippines even if it cost them their last breath. They are the unnamed and unsung heroes who knew that our God -given justice, Filipino identity, and freedom are worth fighting for. 

Corregidor, to this day, stands a witness of the bloodshed that once was. I would be dishonest if I say that the visit did not bring chills and there was nothing creepy about it. In fact, the horror and scare continued even on my way back from Bataan to Manila. One female soldier at her late twenties sat beside me on the bus and testified that she had friends who came back haunted by the ghosts of Corregidor. She said a few had to overcome nightmares in the evening and ghost apparitions after their visit. To me, it was more of the sad recollection of deaths and killings that pulled me down.

In reflection, greed and haughtiness always have its own repercussions. Amplifying them by personal nurture can bring forth death both on the guilty and the innocents. Live content.

Further readings:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corregidor 

How broke was I?

It started here:

Where to Stay in Angeles
Where to Eat in Angeles
Korean Bakery
Pampanga's Ikabud
A Beautiful Aftermath
Treetop Hopping and Dropping
Where Humans are Strangers
Befriending Bataan
The Splendor of the Shrine of Valor
The Past Today

The Past Today

From the top of Mt. Samat, we headed back down to Diwa Hi-way through the same trike that took us on the way up. During the descent, we were engaged by the tricycle driver to a conversation with the obvious intent to convince us to hire his cab for the drive back to Bagac at P900. It got us a little confused at first but we eventually decided not to take his offer and will try to wait for a passing jeepney or bus at the highway instead. We paid him P75, crossed the street, and true as hoped, a jeepney stopped, not even 15 minutes since we started waiting. Off we went back to Bagac terminal. From the terminal, we messaged Kuya Willie to take us to their eatery for lunch.We ate as if we skipped 2 meals that day:

  sauted gourd (upo) - P35
  chicken escabeche - P35
  laing - P35
  shrimp sinigang (sour shrimp stew) - P35
  rice - P10
  soda - P15

I especially like Ate Marivic's "chicken escabeche" because from where I came, escabeche is a fish recipe. After eating, we hurried to make it in time for the next tour schedule in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar which was at 3PM. Once again, Kuya Willie and his wife, our unexpected hosts, were very kind to get us all set for Las Casas. We were taken to meet a quiet and decent kid whose name escaped my memory (my bad .. tsk) and with whom we were chaperoned to the site.

As soon as we arrived, we registered and entered through the huge bricked arc entrance. Before our very eyes stood beautiful Spanish houses laid out like they do in most villas and subdivisions. The 400-hectare area includes a rice field that extends to the mountain, Umagol River, a pool and many more.

We were just in time for the tour so we squeezed ourselves in the crowd of tourists to listen to the pretty guide in Filipiniana dress. She took us from one house to another while giving glimpses of every house's history. The stories behind each house were interesting especially that she details the beginnings until how the houses were turned over to the Acuzars. One story caught everyone's attention about one of the houses, Casa Unisan, formerly owned by a surviving member of the prominent Maxino family in Quezon during the Japanese occupation. It was said that the youngest child was the lone survivor when the family massacre happened in the hands of Japanese tulisan. The yaya's decision to keep the child hidden inconspicuously saved the boy's life. Today, the lower ground of the said house was converted into a restaurant.

Spanish Artifacts

 While house hopping, i noticed that the backyard of one of the houses had what looked like a poultry.
Fat feathery roosters freely roamed the place making it feel like as if you have visited a home in a not very expensive province. It kind of make you forget that day tour costs P600 pesos (prices may have changed). When the tour ended, we maximized what little time we had left to take pictures of the houses without the distraction of loitering tourists. We roamed amazed at the different carvings and sculptures scattered around the vicinity. Of course, we took time to pose for a picture with the sole mode of transportation in the location -- kalesa.

We bore the heat of the day and took our time to enjoy the place. Our last stop was at the famed pool which is open for swimming even for day trippers. When it was already 4PM, we were taken to the terminal by Kuya Willie for our bus ride to Balanga, then to Cabcaben in Marivelles where we leave for our trip to Corregidor, the day after.

The activities we did that day is best described as historical. It was so enlightening and stoking to be transported through time and feel the way our Filipino soldiers felt during the war and at the same day walk along the streets adorned with beautiful Spanish houses which tell a lot about why we are who we are. It's like finding missing pieces of the puzzle and every piece brings an answer to the questions we held on for so long. Travels certainly widen our perspective and understanding.

Here's my breakdown of expenditures on the second half of day 4.

 

Backtrack:

 Befriending Bataan

The Splendor of the Shrine of Valor

See Yahoo pictures of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar here.

A Noteworthy Wakamatsu Experience

It was payback time for me, Patrick, and Hermie. We decided to pig-out big time at the expense of our 4 other Team Gusla members' (Donna, Sittie, Kteil, and Charles) savings. Initially, we thought of hitting YUGO for lunch. Luckily, however, since most of us have already lunched at the place, we agreed to pay its closest competition, Wakamatsu Yakiniku, a visit.

Wakamatsu is one of the few Japanese restaurants in Cebu that offers an all-you-can-eat option. It has been around town for several years already, feared not to last long, but stayed anyhow. I remember visiting the place a couple of times in the past but only to check their menu out and for simple reasons of curiosity.

Four years back, F. Cabahug Street was only interesting because of a few landmarks: Jazz n Blues, Pacific Square, and Castle Peak Hotel. Pacific Square looks like a cozy hotel that fronts a unique architecture. It catches attention also because it sits on an elevation at the roadside, accessible only by patiently climbing its significantly long stairway. I would cuss (if it wasn't a bad thing to do) if I was to run an errand that will require me to climb those steps at midday. The street stretch provides no solace of shelter nor shade unless you actually enter in one of the shops at the street side which weren't too many then. To top that, jeepneys are quite scarce in that part of Cebu. Only Route #03A and 03B jeepneys pass through F. Cabahug Street and mind you, they do not travel around Lahug, Capitol, and Cebu Business Park. In other words, it is unlikely for townsmen to frequent the place unless there are reasons for one to really be there. And when you do get there, you can't help but wonder whether the Japanese restaurant adjacent the hotel can save you from thirst and hunger or not. But I did take a look once only to cower from the price of the menu, strangeness of its meals, and its dimly lit interior. I didn't go back since then.

Things changed, however, when an office mate argued with tremendous conviction that Wakamatsu remains the better Japanese restaurant against YUGO. That and some hard to find internet reviews, seem to awaken the curiosity I have so long tamed to silence. When Team Gusla sought my suggestion for a new resto trip, I cunningly brought them into it.

All 7 of us readied for a feast. Armed with nothing but our hungry stomachs, we raided the place. Greeted then ushered into what looked like a quarter with a center table and missing chairs, we took our footwear off to dine the Japanese way. Just a few seconds after sitting, we were handed the menu. Unlike most all-you-can-eat restaurants, the food in Wakamatsu are not served in a ready-to-eat buffet. One has to order what he wants to eat from the menu but keeping in mind that any leftovers can likely be charged on him. Our orders consisted of:

- Beef strips
- Pork strips
- Steamed Shrimp
- Squid Sashimi
- Kimchi
- Ramen Noodles
- Japanese Chop Suey
- California Maki
- Tuna
- Rice, and Fried Rice
- Oolong, iced tea, green tea
- Ice cream for desert

If there were lessons to learn in this experience, it will be the following:
 1. The all-you-can-eat price entitles the diner one glass of any drinks from Oolong, regular iced tea, and green tea options. If uncertain of the taste of the other strange-sounding drinks, choose what is familiar.
 2. When grilling, avoid waving your food in forceps near the smoke suction pipe above the grilling pan. The pressure is a little strong that it can suction any object near its opening. I reached over to grill a shrimp and was surprised that nothing dropped on the pan. I thought that gravity shifted position all of a sudden.The pipe took my food away.
 3. Order lots of raw food early. Cooking time is fleeting and expensive when your doing lunch in between work hours.
 4. Learn to be in the rhythm of cooking and eating at the same time. You cannot wait for what you put on the pan to get cooked before you start eating. What you put on it can be gone in seconds especially if your friends dig in the same pan you dig on.
 5. If you are into maki or sushi, skip rice. They are mainly of the same ingredient with the former being more flavorful than the latter.
 6. Wear comfortable clothes. The place can get really warm when everybody's grilling.
 7. Make conversation fun while eating with friends. Just like you are on a picnic.
 8. Eat and care less whether you fumble using chop sticks or you smudge your face with sauce. Enjoy the unlimited supply or at least while it is available.

I personally had fun. It may have run short of variety in comparison with YUGO's but there is something good also about sitting and just identifying the food you want rather than taking the time away from the comfort of your table to keep coming back to the buffet minding what others might have to say about the frequency of your return. Besides, it was a treat and 3 of us only had to worry about taxi fare.

I left Wakamatsu with a changed notion. The stairs weren't actually too much to climb. The midday sun was not even that bad. These retrospect weren't quite as noteworthy as the Wakamatsu experience.

Budget Range: P400 - P500
Overall Experience: Recommended

Wakamatsu, Yakiniku

Pacific Square Bldg, 

F. Cabahug St Cebu City, Cebu  

Tel. No. (032) 232-5897

 

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