Conquering Corregidor Island 3: Bottomside

From the name itself, Bottomside is the lower portion of Corregidor Island. A barrio named San Jose once existed there. Most of the docks I think that are currently used for the visiting tourists are found there also. North Dock and the South Dock are two in which I have become quite familiar with.

South Dock

South Dock, from the name itself, faces the south. From this dock, one gets a good view of the neighboring Caballo Island. Found there also is the The Rock Beach Club. It was also on the South Dock that we had our lunch, under the dancing leaves and flying dust. There was once a Chinese market there but only the ruins of the place remains. The view, the silence, the ambiance compels one to just rest, relax, and reflect. It’s really a place of utter enjoyment. But still, I am always reminded that the place was once flooded with blood and the dead. Also, it was there on the South Dock that we boarded the ferry back to Manila Bay when we had our first visit to the island.

* a working pier on the South Dock built over the ruins of the old one, probably the one used during the War

* a view of the pier on the South Dock on the other side
* portion of the Malinta Hill as seen from the South Dock

* Caballo Island as seen from the South Dock

* human intervention worked its way even on the shores of Corregidor Island as can be seen on the shore on South Dock
* a marker found on South Dock commemorating the Beach Cleanup which happened on November 23, 2002
* another marker on the South Dock; I forgot to take note of the details on the plaque
* Trailer Pransis posing with our tour guide Mr. Pol Curato;
taken during the lunch break at the South Dock

Between South Dock and the North Dock is a simple marker for Gen. Jonathan Wainwright who came down in history as the one who surrendered the island to the Japanese. Also found here is the Corregidor Inn and a chapel called San Jose Chapel. Our tour guide urged us to step down our tranvia and pray inside the chapel. I contented myself with taking pictures of the place. Further down, I saw the place where we ate our lunch on my first visit (and played billiards, of all places).

* a marker dedicated to Gen. Jonathan Wainwright

* the place marks the site where a Spanish church used to stand

* a remaining design found on the ground where a Spanish church once stood

* the San Jose Chapel
* some of the chapel’s details

* I got curious on that stone structure jutting out of a side of Malinta Hill
* view of Malinta Hill from the San Jose Chapel

* a line of trees from the Lorcha Dock; on the far side is the San Jose Chapel

* the Lorcha Dock; part of Bataan can be seen on the background

* Trailer Pransis posing beside a gun on North Dock

* while waiting to board the ferry; another blissful history day

North Dock

When we did our revisit North Dock is a busy place being the site for disembarking the tourists. From the map I obtained, the Engineer Dock is just nearby. A short walk from the North Dock will bring you a place called Lorcha Dock. It was there where Gen. Douglas MacArthur bade goodbye to the soldiers in Corregidor to head to Australia. A big statue of MacArthur is erected on the beach.

Towering over the Bottomside is the Mainta Hill which proved to be an important instrument for the American and Filipino soldiers fighting during the Second World War. That would be next in this Corregidor series.