My alarm set off at four in the morning. After four hours of light sleep, I was up again for the continuation of the previous night’s Corregidor Night Tour.

Corregidor’s La Playa Restaurant was still closed, heck, nothing on the island was open yet and I badly needed coffee. I asked the guard on duty if he might have some stashed somewhere, nada. I begged the tram driver if he knows where I can get some, zero. I should have brought an instant 3in1 pack with me.

So with no breakfast and no coffee, my eyes still red from lack of sleep, I sluggishly seated myself in the tram. It rang its bell for the final time and we were off to chase the sunrise at the Pacific War Memorial. 

We arrived at the site of Eternal Flame of Freedom sculpture to witness the sun raise the day’s curtain. Unfortunately, the somber gray clouds were too thick for the sun to push its ray through. Sunrise in Corregidor; no check.

We then proceeded with the hike through the trail at the far end of the Pacific War Memorial. The path doesn’t really look like a path and the American guys I’m following with their big and fast strides didn’t help at all in negotiating it.

The trail wound up and down through the leafy undergrowth, good thing there were ropes to hold on to or it would have been a field trip of sliding down at every descent for me.

We passed through a building slowly being taken back to the ground by a huge Banyan tree; I guess this is as close to Ang Kor Wat as I could be, before another desolate ruin greeted us.

We entered its moldy interiors and onwards through its back part where an awning tunnel mouth awaited us. Dug by the Japanese during the war, it was time once again to turn on our mega-flashlights.

The passage was roughly dug and at its far end, huge steps were carved through the rock leading up to another building uphill. The ascent was pretty steep and ropes were needed to clamber up the gigantic treads. The tunnel was not as extensive as I thought it would be, and the whole traverse did not take more than ten minutes.

We emerged on another rundown building and continued on to through the forest.

The trail got easier here, and after a few moments, stone steps leading upwards led us to the familiar view of Corregidor’s Old Spanish Lighthouse.

Dirty, sweaty, hungry and badly in need of a coffee fix, I was more than happy to board our tranvia back to the Corregidor Inn.

Corregidor Sun Cruises Tour
02-5275555 | 02-8346857
corregidortours@suncruises.com.ph
www.corregidorphilippines.com
Corregidor Night Tour | P150.00 per person
Available for Overnighters Only