Universal Truth (part deux)

Another universal truth:
- Women and snakes don't mix (I base this, not on any direct observation of a snake, but by the reaction of the women on the tour bus when the guide simply mentioned the cobras and the pythons).

Some additional details about the tour today:
- Just to the north of Corrigedor is the Bata'an Peninsula, site of the infamous Bata'an Death March. Don't know how the Japanese tourists qualify that whole PR fiasco.
- To the south of Corrigedor stood a small island that the Americans turned into a permanent battleship. They literally loped off the top of the island, covered it in concrete, and established two gun turrets on it. It took 9 years to build and is still there today (we could see it from a distance). Good 'ol American ingenuity.
- The museum contains the original US flag that flew over Corrigedor. It only contained 45 stars at that time. Still makes this American swell with pride.
- General McArthur is definitely revered by the Filipinos. I didn't realize he had such ties to what was then a commonwealth. His famous "I shall return" statement, which he said when he left Corrigedor in the face of the Japanese attack in '42 (over his objections), was ultimately fulfilled when we took it back in '45. Not quite as intimidating as Arnold's "I'll be back" in the Terminator, but inspiring nonetheless. McArthur attended the raising of the colors in 1945 on the original Spanish flag pole, which survived all of the bombing. This flagpole was a mast from a Spanish galleon (it looks like it ought to have a sail on it).

Just a few factoids that might help the next time you play Trivial Pursuit.

One last thing (yeah right), I've noticed that while there are many restaraunts here common to the US, most have their own local twist. For instance, tonight we ate at Pizza Hut and the pizza had almost no tomato sauce on it. As in I'm not sure there was any at all. Was still good though.