Philippines: Corregidor Island
March 08, 2006
At museums, Roger and I are those people.
We gaze and dawdle and read every word written on the descriptive plaques, and then sometimes we'll call each other over and read it again to each other, out loud, just because we think it's particularly interesting that George Vanderbilt had a bowling alley in his basement. A bowling alley! I didn't even know they had those back then!
We rent the optional headsets, even though we know other people have worn them and that it's possible they are infected with germs and have earwax smeared across the protective foam covering. And then, Internet, we listen to EVERY. SINGLE. AUDIO CLIP. We even press that little green button for the nerds who want to know more. On walking tours, we have to split the tour in half, spending two days (or more!) on a one-day tour, because we are THAT obsessive about knowing every minute detail.
So, can you imagine what it was like for us to wander around a museum that was the size of a small island? Wait, no - IT WAS THE ISLAND.
Until I met Roger, I didn't know what Corregidor was. It sounded like a nasty disease - one that might cause boils and puss to begin oozing out of your fingernail beds and a hazy translucent film might begin to cover your bloodshot eyes.
If you already know what Corregidor Island is, skip this paragraph. Or, don't, if you're a nerd like me. If you don't know what it is, I should tell you that Corregidor is an island in the middle of the Manila Bay, and was extremely instrumental in determining who controlled the Philippines during WWII. Fast-forward past the war -- because Katie can give you those details, not me, though I certainly know A LOT more now than I did before -- and you'd learn that Corregidor Island was such a bloody mess of carcasses that the government, rather than burying the bodies, simply hired jets to fly over it and seed it. In turn, a jungle would soon grow up over the carcasses and tanks and crumbling military bases.
Corregidor is an incredible treasure trove, if only for one reason: It is NOTHING like what you can find in the U.S. Our government would never allow gobs of people to climb all over decrepit structures, hunt through the jungle for WWII gas masks, or play with the guns and cannons.
When Corregidor was bombed, much of it was destroyed. The remains are now open to the public. You can spend the night on the island and sleep in the tunnels, in the old fortresses, under the stars, in the jungle...or if you're not feeling adventurous, there IS a hotel. But it's just for the wimps. Still, I think I'd go for the latter, because: how creepy! I could hardly stand to tour the pitch-black ammunition storage facilities, MUCH LESS SLEEP THERE.
These are the Philipino barracks. They obviously knew how to build structures, because this wasn't nearly as destroyed as the U.S. barracks. I love jungle-island-esque overgrowth, though the thought of what snakes must live in there kind of creeps me out. I think I would be remiss not to note the lack of TRASH, which is another clue that we are not in the United States.
Side view
From within
Above are two images of the "Mile Long Barracks" - the U.S. military barracks. Roger and I climbed the stairs of this structure and visited each floor. I was a bit nervous that the stairs would collapse underneath me, and that the entire structure would come piling down and then everyone would say, "That stupid Americano." Americana? And then I would solely be responsible for the downfall of so many years of history. Not to mention I'd probably be dead, smushed under the weight of so many pounds of concrete.
Next door to the barracks was a theater. Notice the cannon ball holes at the top of the structure. Not surprisingly, because it was a theater, and all, it had a stage! And stadium seating! Somehow, I was still surprised, though. There were no seats, so I don't really know that there was actually stadium seating, but the ground was slanted and in my mind's eye it had stadium seating, with red velvet movie chairs and a red velvet curtain on the stage, and gold braided curtain ties, and tiny little lights outlining the aisles.
(Me, that's who.)
Comments
Wow. Super jealous that you got to go to the Philippines: and what amazing history there! Looks like you and Roger had a ball! (Please tell me you washed your ears after using those headsets! ;)
Posted by: Stephanie | March 8, 2006 10:37 AM
Jes-
I LOVE your mind and how it works... I would say rambling... AND the tangents... that lead to the end of a post... with no summary. It just leaves you hanging... hungering for more.
Bravo!
Posted by: ben | March 8, 2006 11:10 AM
so now the nerd part of me is going to wikipedia to brush up on my Corregidor history, although you got to see it in person and wikipedia is not the same. Sad, I'm jealous of a history field trip.
Posted by: Katie | March 8, 2006 11:25 AM
Oh! And the pictures.
I need more pictures in my posts.
Posted by: ben | March 8, 2006 11:27 AM
Ben,
What? In your posts? Or in my posts, that you read? Because if you want pictures, you should know that Roger and I took over 800.
Posted by: jes | March 8, 2006 11:30 AM
In my post. Your posts are cool... mine... not so much. But post all 800. I triple dog dare you.
Posted by: ben | March 8, 2006 12:31 PM
What cool history...
ps. last time I went to a museum it was with Katie and she felt the need to read EVERYTHING! as well. HA,HA! You and Roger are not alone.
Posted by: Aimee | March 8, 2006 12:51 PM
funny, last time I went to a museum was with Aimee and i did have to read everything and I dragged her and the other girls to the art and then made them listen to me ramble on and on about what works of literature certain pieces were depicting
sigh
I am a nerd, fit me for the big black plastic frame glasses now
Posted by: Katie | March 8, 2006 02:23 PM
Katie-
I thought you already had a pair of those kind of glasses.
Nerd.
Posted by: ben | March 8, 2006 03:25 PM
It's so sad that the lack of trash is significant. But it is. I come from the home of trash-in-public-places. Also of museums. I vary between extremes in museums: from being extremely interested and reading every word to being extremely bored and unable to even look at the displays, much less appreciate them.
But this is way cooler than a museum - this is hands-on interactive history. In a nice place, where you can where a t-shirt outside. I'm getting tired of winter.
Posted by: Lia | March 8, 2006 04:01 PM
You are one of those people that won't move out of the freakin' way so I can see the mummy or the mummy jewelry, or the mummified cat or the mummified cat jewelry. Ugh! MOVE IT ALREADY!!!
Now, about Monday, don't you want to drive down to Austion to see Dooce???!?!?!?!?!?!? And Jon - man, it is drving me insane, I want to see them so bad!
Posted by: eddo | March 8, 2006 08:45 PM
Wow what an awesome post! I love the pictures along with the history behind it, and of course your tangents. Just so you know, the whole trash along museums and monuments thing isn't just a stupid american thing.. it stems WAY beyond us. I was surprised to see how much grafiti and such I saw at the monuments in Rome. I figured it would have all been clean and beautiful.. but no.
Posted by: ms thang | March 9, 2006 08:29 AM
Sweetie, I'm embarrassed for you. And your memory.
1) The holes in the Corregidor theater were not made by cannon balls (they had cannon balls in the revolutionary and civil war). The holes in the Corregidor theater were made by mortar shells and bombs. Revelutionary War = 1775, WW2 = 1941.
2) I can't believe you did a post on Corregidor and didn't show a SINGLE big gun. THAT'S WHY YOU GO. TO SEE THE BIG GUNS! You're such a girl. Will there be a part two to your Corregidor post?
Posted by: roger | March 9, 2006 11:43 AM
Oh Lordy, that is the BEST!!! I always knew this site was biased, but it is wonderful to see the teamwork in a marriage. Completing partners and all.
There has to be other stuff opposed to little boy buttocks and busses.
Posted by: eric | March 9, 2006 11:58 AM
Nice pictures!
Posted by: steve | March 9, 2006 12:40 PM
Wow. Neat pictures, and excellent commentary! And Roger's comments added to the story as well. More pics! More commentary! Please?
Posted by: AmStaff Mom | March 9, 2006 03:48 PM
i came to corrigidor last dec 16 2006
an i see the new corrigidor they take care of those historical site they cut the big tree so they dont make harang the historical site they clean it for the tourist or for the filipino visitors or who wants to visit....i think corrigidor now is in good hand...thanks the poeple behind the beauty an cleanlinees fo corrigidor more power.....
Posted by: rey manuel | December 23, 2006 09:23 PM