Bataan Death March and Camp O'Donnell

I just spent two weeks in the Philippines.  Although the visit was for business I still managed to see a few sites.  This site was humbling. I visited the Bataan Death March memorial or known locally at the Capas National Shrine.  There is a memorial on the site where the Capas Concentration Camp was located during World War II.  Thousands of people both Filipino and American died here.   The memorial for the death march indicates that about 14,908 Philippine and about 600 Americans died on the death march. 

  After the death march people were stuffed into the railroad box cars (pictured).  About 150 to 160 people were stuffed in each car.  The climate is very hot in the Philippines and it was about 110 degrees in the box cars.  More people died from suffocation due to the heat and limited ventilation of the box cars.  The survivors were taken to Camp O’Donnell a POW concentration camp.  At Camp O’Donnell another 1600 young Americans died. 

I am not sure the distance of the march.  The sign in front of the box car says 105 km however on the main road near the memorial I saw a Death March marker displaying 112 km.  Nevertheless I understand the march was brutal walking about 25 miles a day, if a person fell they were bayoneted, no food, no water, I could not imagine those harsh conditions.  I am an advocate for monuments of this type to preserve our history.  MAY WE NEVER FORGET.  Semper Fidelis.

Philippine Trikes

Village in Philippines 2010

As most of you know I am on assignment overseas. I spent many months ending 2010 in the Philippines. I was there for business and did not get a chance to ride. I found a cool biker bar called Handle Bar in Manila. Lucky for me the night I went they were celebrating Jack Daniels birthday-really! There were live bands, prizes and good food. The only regret was ordering a rare steak. Oh, it was a tasty steak but I had a lapse in judgment and failed to consider there are no FDA standards in the kitchens there.  I was in the hotel bathroom for two days to recover from that tasty rare steak :(  That reminds me--the best steak on a motorcycle trip so far was at Sooner Legends in Norman, Oklahoma!

 Picture of a Philippine trike which is used like a taxi.

I saw very few Harleys and sports motorcycles. There were hundreds of mopeds, scooters and trikes. The trikes were pretty popular. They were just as common as a taxi. Actually the trikes were for hire just as a taxi. Here are a few pictures of the trikes. As you see they are mopeds or small motorcycles with side cars. The locals allow one more person on the trike as long as they can grab ahold. 

Here is a family on a highway.

Take a look at this snapshot below showing four people on a moped! This was a common sight. Well except the helmets-It was rare to see people wear helmets. This photo was taken on a Philippine Army base where helmets were required.