During my childhood years, summer wasn’t complete without a trip to the beach with my parents, two younger brothers, and other relatives. Since the beaches were just 15 minutes from our house, there was no excuse for us not to go.

At the beach, my greatest fascination was the blurry bluish-purple shapes looming at the horizon. I often wondered if those were actually Basilan or Sulu or even Indonesia! When I asked my parents about it, however, they told me that those were the Sta. Cruz Islands, islands that were popular for its rare pink sand. Being a child, the idea of pink sand was infinitely exciting and quite unimaginable for me since all the beaches near the city proper had black or gray sand.