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Although I have been on edge following Pan’s condition from the beginning this is my first post about Pan.  The news of her death hangs very heavy on my spirit.  I am never quite sure how to act or what to say when something of this nature happens to someone we all care about so much.  However I spent a lot of time with Pan getting to know her this past June, July and August and thought it may be appropriate to share some of what I learned about Pan’s life.  She has been purely a very good friend and there has never the slightest romantic thought between us.  Those who know a bit more about me will understand why she and I spent quite a bit of time together but this is not relevant here.

Although I have known Pan for some time, I really got to know her much better as I spent a lot of time with her about half a year ago and she related much of her life’s story to me.  I apologize if my memory fails and some of the details I relate are incorrect, but this is the best I can remember.

Pan was abandoned at birth by her parents and was raised by a grandmother.  Soon after birth a rich, childless woman talked the grandmother into giving Pan up for adoption.  However, after a week the grandmother had a change of heart and retrieved Pan.  Pan did not seem to resent missing out on life with a rich family, but she would speculate what her life would have been like had her grandmother not taken her back.  She imagined a college education and the different professions she might have fulfilled.

She would often talk about growing up in a very poor family where even a glass of milk was beyond the family’s financial grasp.  I think many of us do not realize the extreme poverty many of these ladies experience and the resulting motivation to change their lives and the lives of their families.  She looked forward to a family of her own someday but she wanted to be sure her children would not grow up in the same conditions she experienced.  She would often say that when she had children of her own they would never want for a glass of milk.

She would often talk about a future with her boyfriend Brian (who I never met by the way) and looked forward to moving to the U.S. to start a family with him someday.  I live about a half-day’s drive from Brian in the U.S. and she would talk about visiting with Brian and their children.  I think she kind of considered me a big brother or uncle.

She loved to meet and communicate with foreigners on Facebook.  I don’t think she was ever looking for a new boyfriend; she just loved to meet new people and joust with them.  She would always be asking me to correct her English and improve her comical replies.

Once when I was in Pattaya she was taking a few days off to visit the family back in Isaan.  I am not sure who the family consisted of currently other than an uncle.  She would complain that she could not afford to go back and visit often because she would always bring back boxes of food and drink for the family.  I'm not sure if she was also expected to bring gifts of money as well.  She would also pack up a box of 20 or so bottles of beer.  Oftentimes when the girls are purchased a bottle of beer on WebCam at FLB they don't drink them but save them and bring them back home.  She had packed up a box of 20 or so such beers to bring back to the Isaan family.

I enjoyed many a meal with my girlfriend and Pan.  As we all know, some of these Thai girls can eat an enormous amount of food.  But from what I have seen, Pan is the all-time champion.  We have been to several all-you-can-eat venues and I swear she can easily down twice the amount of food as I and I am no slouch at approximately twice her size.  She would always seem happiest with a giant plate of food in front of her.  Maybe the result of growing up in such impoverished conditions.

It is so hard to believe she is gone now and I will not break bread with Pan again in this life.  I hope you have appreciated my thoughts about her and have not found it inappropriate.

Where ever you may be now Pan, I wish you the very best.

Your Friend Robert

22 of us took a bus up to Ubon where the family home is located. 5 staff had gone the day before to help with the preparations for the funeral meals.
We left at 1am on Saturday morning, got into Ubon about 11am, found out the bus was too big to pass the road to her part of the village, so we ferried people further on.

We stayed at the family home, having abundant food, some of which I could even eat , plenty of Leo beer, Lao Khao, and soft drinks.

It was hot...breaking 100F (41C) and everyone was feeling the heat. There were many fans around, and someone was nice enough to always have one pointing at the farang (me) :

Many villagers were there...3 or 4 times as many as our party of perhaps 30 people. There were 4 houses or buildings used for people to eat or drink in. They even had a shower room...well, a bowl with a big urn of water you could throw over yourself while trying to soap up. Most of the girls took a "shower"...as did I. As I said, it was HOT!

Now the attached pictures...we had multiple photographers, so the pictures are merged...unfortunately, they aren't exactly in chronological order. I'll fix that if I have time. All the pictures in this post were taken prior to the funeral...the bus, the food, the tribute stations, the villagers, the staff, and group photos.

The next post will have pictures of the actual ceremony, if that's what you want to call it. It was more of a process than a ceremony, but you'll see.

Our lovely bus...don't let the VIP moniker fool you. This bus was a claptrap where hardly anything worked.


On arrival at the family home, we saw tributes to Pancake, along with flower arrangements sent by friends and family.




Now it was time to eat...and eat...and eat.








Various combinations of staff on a table in front of the main tribute area...the table below started to shift, so it could not accomdate everyone at once.

















Temporary nuns to help out...even our Muway got in the whites.


Next the flower arrangements and their donors are photographed.








The "nuns" have their eyes closed because explosive firecrackers or cherry bombs are blowing up.






Now is the time to start on the way to the funeral itself. The tribute station is dismantled and the pictures are carried out.

Under all the flowers is a large, ornate golden box....and what a surprise that was!

Ha!

So,here's my favourite.....the one that for me sums up the essence of Pattaya!

I could write so much about it,but hopefully you can see it too.

Every picture tells a story.

Ten more,making 200 photos uploaded.

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Out in the nowhere in Naklua.... a trendy place for the locals.....







No farang menu, so it's recommended to visit with a thai or play the russian roulette...



The table:



The items...

Crab egg dip sauce with vegetables:



Fried rice with crab meat:



Oysters with fried onion, chili paste and spicy dip sauce:



Snapper sashimi ( raw fish, the real deal, not the crap sushi... ) with spicy dip sauce, wasabi and soy sauce



Cabbage soup with squids and minced pork...



Tom ka with some fish...



The fish from the soup:



Som tam with raw blue crab:



All in all including the drinks 960 baht.... tasty and delicious.... The verdict: Recommended, the girls and probably you too will love it....

Thanx for the appreciation...it really means something!

I will answer specific questions later tonight. when I have more time.

The captions for the last photo are cool....keep 'em coming!

As I'm on a roll,here's a couple more for you.

Both taken in Bangkok in March 2012.

The first one is in the famous Nana car park.....these girls have got their priorities wrong! How new technology has taken over!

This is such a great picture!!













And heres another.....these ladyboys were in for a treat.....

Three expatriates are drinking in a NY City bar.

 "As good as this is," said the Scotsman, "I still prefer the pubs back home. In Glasgow, there's a wee place called McTavish's. The landlord goes out of his way for the locals. When you buy four drinks, he'll buy the fifth." 

"Well, Angus," said the Englishman, "At my local pub in London, the Red Lion, the barman will buy you your third drink after you buy the first two." 

"Ahhh, dat's nothin'," said the Irishman, "Back home in my favorite pub, the moment you set foot in the place, they'll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like, actually. Then, when you've had enough drinks, they'll take you upstairs and see dat you gets laid, all on the house!" 

The Englishman and Scotsman were suspicious of the claims. 

The Irishman swore every word was true. 

"Did this actually happen to you?" they asked. 

"No not meself, personally, no," admitted the Irishman, "but it did happen to me sister quite a few times."

Until April 7th at Impact Arena.  All the major players represented...

Rolls-Royce

 

 

Bentley

 

 

Lamborghini

 

 

Mercedes-Benz

 

 

Lotus

 

 

Porsche, I owned a 944 when I first moved to California.  Damn thing broke down all the time and cost a fortune to fix, but was a lot of fun to drive.

 

 

Ferrari

 

 

Mini Cooper

 

 

and from my hometown, Harley-Davidson

 

 

And then, there's the good stuff...

 

Important caveats:

 

1.  I bought my condo and my car at 69 baht to the GBP.

 

2.  How I spend 'my' time is likely different to how you spend yours. My expenses and yours will differ.

 

 

OK

 

With all the 'Doom and Gloom' on the board lately I'd thought I'd give myself a reality check!   Am I just, 'a cock-eyed optimist'  or 'Pollyanna as Tomcat says? Or did I get it mostly right when made the leap and retired out here in 2007?

 

What follows is a comparison between Pattaya and England. I can't argue with those who say the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and such-like are head and shoulders above Pattaya...... If that's your view, you can 'ave your two penneth after.

 

Though this is obvious, it needs saying first..........

 

The PFP experience here beats, in terms of cost, quality, opportunity and selection the stale piss-flaps on offer from London's very own clock-watching Picadilly Commandos.

 

That being said........:

 

Also I pay no tax here other than VAT.

 

Motoring:

 

Cheaper fuel

Cheaper service and repair costs

Cheaper insurance

Cheaper Road-Tax

Cheaper + better car-wash.

Cheaper fines for minor motoring discretions.

Cars hold their value longer.

 

Set against this:

V. expensive import car prices.

 

 

 

Entertainment:  ..........'Generally'

 

Beer cheaper.

Restaurants much cheaper.

Street eating unbelievably good quality and cheap.

Thai food and Seafood excellent quality, and extremely good value.

Year round there's a multitude of outdoor eating opportunities + Stunning vistas.

Cinemas cheaper.

 

However, wine comparable in price with UK restaurant prices and supermarket costs here higher.

 

Sports:

 

Golf:

 

Green fees cheaper

Caddies cheaper

Buggies cheaper 

Bucket of balls in a driving range cheaper.

Lessons cheaper.

95% of the year courses available for play.

 

Against: 

Golf equipment slightly more expensive.

 

Tennis........can play all year. Club membership cheaper.

 

Sports opportunities and cheaper costs here:

 

Squash

Scuba

Thai Boxing

Jet-Ski

Kite-Surfing

Wind-Surfing

Go-Karts.......... etc.

 

+Gym membership at Royal Cliff and Fairtex half what I was paying in UK.

 

Against this: No ski-slopes.

 

 

Personal Grooming:

 

Hair-cuts, cheaper+better

Massage, cheaper+ better+available 24 hrs..........A phone-call can bring a sexy girl in 10 mins to my condo to massage my feet while I watch Wimbledon and sip Singha beer.

 

Manicures....Body scrubs etc Never 'ad either one in England, which says it all.

Minor Sports injuries, or just aches and pains dealt with quickly here without need for a 3 week wait for an appointment.

 

Health:

 

Good hospitals

 

My yearly M.O.T (checkup)......'Essentials' + PSA'  at Bangkok Pattaya, bought in December was 3500 baht. It would be twice that in UK.

Expat emergency insurance relatively cheap.

 

Against this though, The National Health service, in a crisis, trumps the lot.

 

Condo:

 

Relatively Cheap purchase price for its situation and amenities.

Electricity cheaper

Water cheaper

Ground rent/facilities charge, cheap.

Maid room cleaning cheap.

Minor repairs, no charge just a tip

Laundry cheap

 

Travel

Baht buses cheap

Taxis still very cheap........ Swampy to Jomtien <1500 baht.

 

Service

Very good personal Service here at Banks, Hospitals, Supermarkets, filling-stations etc is non-existent in the UK.

 

For instance I was asked at 3 in the afternoon in Tescos South Pattaya,

 

"when would you like your refrigerator delivered?" 

"As soon as you can!"

"Would 4 O'clock be alright K. Atlas?"

 

Food Markets:

 

Mind boggling array of good quality and cheap vegetables and Fruit. 

 

Hotel/ Accommodation:

 

For what I'm paying for 2 nights in June at a Holliday Inn an hour outside London, I could spend a week in almost any Hotel in Pattaya.

 

Satellite TV....Cheaper

 

Clothes.....DVDs .........CDs.......cheaper.

 

 

That's enough for the the contrarians to argue over......For now anyway I'll add to this later.

 

But let me just give a quick example of the start to my day here. I'm desperate to keep some fitness so.....

 

I wake-up between 6 and 7 am.......Have a piss....Budgie-smugglers on and down to the pool. 40 lengths or 66 widths. Back up cup-of tea on my balcony and watch the news. Zero hassle. 

 

In the UK I would have to drive 20 or more mins through traffic to Amersham.....find a parking space put 2 pounds in the machine, back to the car, with the rain no doubt pissing down to display the parking ticket. Pay 5 pounds or so entry. Stick a pound in a locker. Swim (in lane). Change in a freezing cold changing room drive back through the school-run traffic......... I'm a lazy phucker and I know I simply wouldn't keep it up.

 

My point is, I've asked myself the question... Are you worse or better off here atlas?

 

Bloody stupid question's my answer.  

I was following the earlier reports on Facebook but haven't logged in here in quite a while. I'm amazed at her incredible resilience, as she's been able to come back several times literally from the brink. What does not amaze me, however, is the outpouring of support from those who know her. She's a wonderful young lady with a lot of friends, and we are all praying for the best for in her in whatever form it takes.

If they have been there for 5 years that means I havent been in for nearly 6 years (except two short visits by request).

In 6 years I have made 22 trips to Pattaya. Average stay 11 days. Thats 242 nights in Pattaya and I used to use the FLB every night. Average bill was about 2800 bht.

So thats 677,600 bht I havent spent in the FLB all because Martin banned me.

Serve him right.

If you think that being a customer in FLB gives you a right to be obnoxious and abusive to others on the forum, you can stick your bullshit 677k up your ass.

I did not give him a full 30 days notice as required by the contract, but was fully prepared to pay him the extra 2 weeks rent.  

So, in other words, you broke the contract. What you were prepared to do is irrelevant. You signed a contract in good faith, then you saw fit to break it when it suited you.

Did you even consider just following the contract in the first place???

:The grove where the ceremony is to take place is being prepared for the many people who will be arriving. Mats are spread out, the monks are in their places, and the small funeral box along with the pictures and flowers are brought to the central area where the casket is to be placed.











The people attending the funeral took their places on mats placed on the ground.














The monks chanted for a while, then the village head man chanted to them along with a couple of other villagers.



After the chanting was done, and a ceremony to bless some new monks' robes, the body was removed from the casket box and laid out on a more insubstantial holding device...a couple of rods and a cloth base.

The villagers/friends of Pancake came to touch her hands to say goodbye, and place coconut milk on her forehead to make her forget about this life she was leaving.
I was too squeamish to go up to her (someone else took these pictures), but now that I think back on it, I wish I had held Pancake's hand to say goodbye one last time.



The funeral helpers stacked more logs and kindling on the funeral pyre, and lit it from both ends.

As the smoke and flames came up, firecrackers/cherry bombs were being set off making loud booms.






At this point, we returned to the family house.

Goodbye, Pancake!

I visited the venue tonight... ( a mate raped me to go there ) there are many improvements in the girls behaviours... but the prices... just like an EA hunter venue without the yellow fever.... 1000-1200 baht barfines, 3000/ST , 5000/LT demands from a barrel stomached " k" category beer bar material girl.... The ladydrink was 200 baht for her... ( lolly water, no any special things... ) More soon in my biased rants...

Barfines, like many other venues, were raised to 1,000/1,200 before midnight.  After midnight, regular barfines apply and after 01:30, discount barfines apply.  Lady Drinks have never been 200 baht.  They are 135 Baht.  If you are going to post about Heaven Above, please do so from you experience and not someone else.  Also, try to be accurate.  As far as what a girl will ask for ST/LT, her pussy, up to her. :)

Thats the Pattaya I saw last month,been to Bangkok about thirty times,but this was my first trip to the seaside. I didn't go looking for photos,just took what was directly ahead. Hope it is of value.

There are three photos left,which would have been buried in amongst all the others if I had posted them earlier.

The first one is a scene in Soi LK Metro,at the back door of Sugar Sugar. If I'd have walked through the front door,I would have witnessed god knows what,but seeing a horny ass through an open door as she waited on the staircase was somehow more erotic,as it was a forbidden view,out of context,and therefore more valuable. Here's the photo :

Greetings monkeywatchers, and showaddy crap as we once again nestle ourselves into the warm bosom of our favourite place to be. Hang on to your hats.

 

Bars have been warned that they face closure if they don’t stick to the official closing times of 2am within the entertainment zone and midnight elsewhere. We’re getting a strange feeling of déjà vu – and we think we may have had it before. Police also said they would be cracking down on drugs and got the ball rolling by arresting one their own officers after finding something untoward in his trousers.   

 

Police arrested a Thai bloke in the wee hours of the other Tuesday morning after he turned his car over on the central reservation of Sukhumvit Road. He told police he’d swerved after mistaking the shadow of a tree on the road for a pedestrian. Perhaps not the best defence to use if you’re trying to convince the police that you aren’t pissed out of your mind. It wasn’t and he didn’t because he was.

 

The Thai economy continues to go from strength to strength, no doubt spurred on by the dynamism and drive displayed by its citizens…

 

 

A German bloke snuffed it in Central Festival last Wednesday after plummeting down six floors from a balcony. Police asked for anyone who knew the man to contact Pattaya Police Station, though it seemed unlikely that anyone would be claiming to have known a pool of goo.

 

Not to be outdone, a Thai lad fell 33 floors off Wongomat Tower while working on the construction site of said erection. Police said the incident was caused by a substandard plank, presumably a reference to the site manager. 

 

A Thai chap was arrested at a Flea Market in North Pattaya last week by a police anti-gambling unit for running a stall where people could win prizes by throwing darts at balloons. They informed him that taking money from people in return for gratuities was illegal but he gave them 5,000 baht so they let him off. Don’t know what happened to the fleas. They probably fled.

 

As we all know, Pattaya is a perfectly safe place for holidaymakers. Just ask any doorman…

 

 

Bar news now, and the raiding season is with us again, the latest victims being Insomnia, Marine, Nui’s Club 2, Naughty Girls, Sugar Sugar and Club Blu, the latter having a 30-day closure order slapped on them. Bit inconvenient if you happened to be staying in one of their rooms. And, as predicted last month, newly opened Movida has already closed down. Guugle has also closed, though word is that it’ll reopen at the end of the month, unlike Baron A Go Go, which looks to have gone for good. Classroom A Go Go has finished with dancers, so no change there then. Soi LK Metro is to give birth to a new Go Go named Crystal Club on the site of the old Lolita’s. Shenanigan’s is being converted into, would you believe, a family pub, obviously something Pattaya is crying out for. But the most surprising news of the month has to be FLB Bar swapping their band for coyote dancers. Good God, whatever next? The Blues Factory turning into a BJ bar?

 

Rescue services were summoned last Wednesday after a monitor lizard was spotted roaming the streets of South Pattaya. A man claiming to be a lizard expert who arrived on the scene said that the recent spell of very warm weather may have induced the creature to come out of its shelter to look for water. Well, if it hangs around for a few more days it won’t have to look too hard.

 

Someone seems to think that there may be a problem with traffic congestion in Pattaya, so a committee has been set up to examine the problem. The first meeting took place last Friday, but nobody showed up as they were all stuck in traffic jams except for one delegate who fell off his bike in South Pattaya after swerving to avoid a monitor lizard. 

 

That little branch of McDonald’s on Beach Road doesn’t seem to get too many customers these days…

 

 

The 12th Pattaya International Music Festival took place a couple of weeks ago and was the usual blend of music, traffic jams and punch ups. Mainly traffic jams and punch ups to be honest. They should’ve gone to the UK for the Status Quo Frantic Four Reunion Tour and listened to some proper music (that’s what I did).

 

Status Quo Manchester Apollo 6.3.13

 

Finally, there was a bit of a conflagration on Soi 16 last Thursday after a block of beer bars burned to the ground following an electrical fire. Though it was initially claimed that there were no casualties, it’s been reported that several of the nearby street vendors have added Crispy Arab to their menus.

 

be seeing you

monkeyman   

Hi Fellas

 

Short it's www.thaigers.com (shameless plug)

 

Thanks for responses. The few hours I spent in FLB were a welcome break from the madness. I like the personal touch you get in FLB with the girls and also Moulee is a long term friend , credit also to her for getting me a free cocktail when the one I ordered wasn't up to scratch .

 

 

Although the mongering aspect of Patts is on its knees sadly, well from a Walking Street perspective anyway. I was only getting 43 baht to the £ sterling, and when a bottle of Soda water is 110 baht in Bacarra it kind of hurts a bit. On the basis of that, I would refuse to pay the 2000 baht longtime alot of the Beer bar girls initially ask.

 

There is also some irony in the fact that after a bit of banter, one of the African girls in the bar just up from FLB where they all sit (along with LB's) offered LT for 1500!. I popped in there for a refreshing SM light, got chatting to one of the girls and was a bit curious as to the whole "work permit" thing. She told me that she's here as a tourist, for 6 months , does the necessary border runs and keeps lonely men company of an evening for 2000 S/T or 4000 L/T. They do come in for hassle from the Police, and are offered either a fine or deportation. Her customers are always American or European farangs, only ever fucked one Asian guy (probably her pimp).

 

 

She makes in 6 months what she would make in 2 years in Ghana, where she is from. however she did loan the cash to get to Patts in the first place so has to do a fair bit of shagging to repay that little debt. Shares a room with 4 other African girls, and basically keeps coming back. - So - if anyone was ever curious about the African girls on Walking Street, there's your answer. Also, if anyone is interested there's a bar full of them between Soi 7 and 8 on Second Road. They're all pretty ugly though. Not my type.

 

Anyway, I digress.

The GoGo's are weighted heavily in the favour of the Asian guys. not so many farang to be seen late at night. usual haunts still busy, apart from Alcatraz which has the shittiest attitude of any GoGo I've been in for a long time. girls and staff alike. it was empty when I went and empty when I left.

Disco's are not so much a sausage fest as before, but guys still outnumber girls. I still saw more girls leaving alone than with guys, so I expect as a pick up joint for off duty GGG's it might not be worthwhile. However, Bamboo bar just up from the WS entrance and Gullivers were absolutely rammed solid, more girls than guys and very popular. Gullivers had a fair few Russians in it though.

 

Attitudes throughout WS tend to stink, tbh. Further out the attitudes improve somewhat, one Gem was Drinking Street up opposite Soi 1, next to Big C. Some very cute girls here and prices reasonable, a good atmosphere and altogether not a bad little venue to explore. The girls are good fun, good to talk to and not pushy for drinks. there are certainly a few who could hold their own among some of the queens on WS.

 

 

 

LK and diana Inn were same same. Expats galore can be found at any given time in Champagne, Queen Club and The Office. MASH has closed though. Submarine is open but really too small to offer any threat to the other clubs on the street, Sugar Sugar never fails to please and really deserves to do well IMO, great service and a good, open honest attitude from the staff. Oasis over the road is half decent actually, again a good attitude but not without a few mingers on the stage. 

 

Papps, if you're going to get a decent GFE it'll be somewhere out of range of WS I would think. I've noticed a marked change in attitudes toward Eurpoean mongers from the girls, yet their attitudes toward the Asian mongers remains very positive. The overlying trend though is that they all think of Russians as "dogs", one TG admitting that the Thais are scared of them due to their unpredictability (which has been covered somewhere here before iirc).

 

I really don't like to make comparisons, but I'm beginning to think that you get better service, GFE and honesty from girls in the PI than in Pattaya. I've not mongered in the PI so by my own admission I'm throwing out what might be an incorrect assumption, but on the whole poor service in many (well, mainly the ones that are laundering cash) joints, girls in the disco's not going to look for a farang but to actually enjoy the time with their friends, not giving us a second look and a general change in empathy across the board is making Pattaya a less attractive option for me for the future.

 

Was meant to be a response, turned into a bloody TR lol...

 

Cheers

Butch

The tribute station and the big gold box are loaded into a pickup...the box is really heavy, judging by the number of people carrying it. It then dawns on me that it contains Pancake's body, and that we've been drinking and eating with her there all this time!




We then being a procession down a small road going behind the village houses. In the midst of the procession is the pickup with the casket (I'll call it that now, since I know it contained her body). We took some pictures to try to give you an idea of how many people there were..




We've reached a point beyond which the pickup cannot drive. A rise into a cleared grove in the midst of a bamboo forest is in front of us. The villagers begin to dismantle the casket and bring an inner box within the bigger box, along with the photos and flowers.

Hi,
Sorry, a bit later than expected. It's taken me ages to transfer the files from my old PC ot the new one, and alot of stuff got lost.

Anyway.

As I mentioned, as part of the corregidor Island visit there's the opportunity to go into the Malinta Tunnel. Essentially the Tunnel made up part of an underground infrastructure with several annexes, safe from Air and Sea bombardment as it was bored into the mountainside and served as a command centre for Macarthur during his stay.

when buying the tickets for Corregidor you're offered the Tunnel experience as part of the package. you can also buy tickets upon arrival at the tunnel entrance for the same price, so it is literally up to you. I can't really recall how much it is, maybe about 350 peso or something, certainly not vast fortunes.



Illuminated with Cameara flash.





From a foreigners standpoint, the tunnel is an intrinsic part of the trip. To be able to gain an insight into the history of Corregidor at least one trip is worth it, I've done it a few times now and can offer some tips for the best chance to get some pics etc. As the tunnel is made up of some "dioramas" which light up as they tell the story of its role during the conflict, everyone is clamouring to take pics. Don't worry too much if you're not at the front, as any decent digicam flash will illuminate it enough without the lighting, and there are opportunities to take pictures, do what I did, head for the "edge" of the crowd at the front to gain a decent viewpoint.


upon entering the tunnel it's obvious that it has been rebuilt, but the tracks which make up the Corregidor Railway network have been left in situe.





**Note (EDIT), I've been asked about the "orbs" in the picture. there has been speculation they represent something like spirits. i'm not religious, but with all the death surrounding the tunnel, I leave it up to you to decide if it's dust in the air or anything other.Please don't judge the TR as anythingm other than it is though. They are consistent throughout the tunnel pics but appear nowhere else. All pics on the trip taken with the same Camera.**

As a group you're taken by a guide (for some reason video is not allowed but picture are). you essentially cross over from side to side viewing the annexes which have been converted and sealed for the dioramas. Bear in mind you're only seeing a very small percentage of the Tunnel complex, and sadly for safety reasons it's the only part of the Island out of bounds to long stay visitors. no woner when you look at the later pics.

This is the start of the tour.


A story is told as you progress, with soundbites through the speakers and some input from the guide.



Take as many pics as you want, remember there's loads of time.







They do go into the hardships endured by the soldiers, tough to imagine but not for the claustrophobic.





At the end of the tour they raise the Flag of the Philippines and offer a simple prayer.



these annexes are toward the end of the tunnel. They are as they were when the Japanese detonated the explosives and created a fire which lasted for weeks inside the complex.
Behind these walls lie dead women, children and soldiers. Considered too dangerous to excavate and left alone, they serve as a poingniant reminder that War costs lives on both sides, and very often the innocent pay the price.













I hope you enjoyed the report. I'm currently planning my Intramuros report which will probably need to be in 2 parts.

Anyone who says there's nothing to do in Manila should take their girl, or even go alone and visit Corregidor Island. A somewhat sobering experience to think the dead sleep beyond the destruction, not enemies anymore but simply casualties, not having had a proper burial, but also to be thankful for the sacrifices of the brave men and women, without which none of us would be able to enjoy the freedoms we have today.