There was no fresh water there. You wash off salt water with more salt water. Ridiculous, right? Welcome to the famous Pink Beach of Zamboanga City.

I won’t bore you with facts I probably picked up from a brochure in a hotel lobby.

After a tiring two-day interview with two medical doctors from Zamboanga General Hospital for a work magazine, we finally carved out a very short pocket of fun for ourselves.

Armed with extra clothes, sunscreen, and our phones, Jonathan, Khasian, and I walked from our hotel to the port bound for Pink Beach. A 20-minute boat ride later, we arrived.

I don’t have anything overly dramatic to share about the experience, except this: despite the scorching sun, the water was freezing cold—a complete juxtaposition. Nat was pricked by a sea urchin, and I promptly suggested peeing on it so it would dissolve in no time. He chose the more painful route instead-vinegar and patience.

A baby snake also slithered into our cottage, which the bantay-dagat assured us was non-venomous.

We swam, ate an absurdly early lunch because of their afternoon flight, rinsed ourselves off, and headed back to the hotel to shower and check out. Pink Beach remains one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to.

Here are more photos I took.

10/10. Would come back again.