A Story Well Told. - My wife and I booked a private 2 day Bataan tour with JB Quemado. Since we had never been to the Philippines, only had a short time and knew relatively little about the WWII in the Pacific we felt duty bound (we are both US Army veterans) to book the best tour we could find. The Bataan Death March route is hallowed ground to us. We took a risk and booked JB’s private tour despite relatively limited reviews available. We hoped that the higher price would enable him to deliver a higher quality tour. Wow! He earned every penny. We were delighted. JB is a very experienced licensed tour guide with a degree in tourism from The University of Santo Thomas. He has nearly 30 years of experience guiding tourists, Death March Veterans and their families, very high ranking US Military Officers, US Embassy staff and VIPs. His knowledge of WWII, Manila and military topics in general is exhaustive. He can go deep into details an expert would appreciate but unlike history professors we have toured with in the past, he can humbly present basic information that a layman can easily understand. His descriptions are engaging and informative. This is difficult information to hear but JB elegantly balances the brutal facts with respectful lightness. One priceless bonus is JB’s second hand knowledge he learned from his grandfather growing up. His grandfather fought in the US Armed Forces of the Far East in WWII. He was captured by the Japanese when Bataan fell, walked the Death March to Camp O’Donnel, escaped from Camp O’Donnel and joined the resistance. He continued fighting with the guerrilla forces until the Japanese were defeated. JB has read a lot of history about WWII but growing up near Bataan with his grandfather and hearing his experiences in the war has given JB a level of insight a lifetime of research could not replicate. JB is also very well connected and resourceful. His tour includes a Corregidor tour conducted by a guide with 25 years of experience. On our tour we had the entire island to ourselves. There were no other tourists that day but JB made sure we had a private boat and tour bus. If other tourists are on the island you might end up comfortably sharing the bus with other guests (no more than 10) but the tour will still go even if it’s only one person. Another bonus is JB is a great Manila tour guide. He can’t help himself when driving through town pointing out sights and explaining the history of Manila. What to expect: - JB personally guiding you along the route. - A private car and driver (small new well air conditioned Toyota WiGo. Perfect for the two of us plus JB and his driver). He will get a larger vehicle for more guests. - A nice hotel on Bataan for one night. - A private boat ride to and from Corregidor. - A tour bus and specialist guide for Corregidor. - Stops at several different museums. - Stops at important locations along the Death March route. - A stop at Mt. Samat with an optional walk to the cross at the top. - A tour of Camp O’Donnell. Considerations. The boat trip to Corregidor requires getting on and off at the bow. The crew provides a ramp or steps but it could be a big challenge for someone who has difficulty walking. Weather conditions can affect the Corregidor schedule. Crossing the channel in a small bangka boat in high swells would be a difficult passage. JB actually changed our Corregidor tour day because he correctly anticipated larger waves from a storm several hundred miles away. Limited luggage space in the Toyota WiGo. This is the compromise for a roomier back seat and easy parking. It easily accommodated our day pack and carry on suitcase but we don’t recommend a full sized suitcase or a lot of luggage. We left our other bags at our hotel in Manila for our overnight stay in Bataan. In conclusion this tour was very much worth the price for us. This is a story that needs to be told and told well.

Fantastic tour - This was an incredibly personalized tour where we saw and learned everything we possibly could have wanted. We basically had Corregidor to ourselves and got the VIP tour! Our guide, JB, for the overall trip was wonderful and so knowledgeable, and the specialized guide for Corregidor was so funny and gave an amazing level of detail. If you want a personalized, in-depth tour, this is perfect!