Return to Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas (2010)

Returning to Harbour Island in the Bahamas, especially for a day trip, created an immediate tension for me because I felt that there were two faces to the island competing for my attention. The first is Dunmore Town, where the twin-hulled ferry "Bo Hengy" docks and provides the entrance to its quaint setting and remarkable storehouse of history. However, when you drive your rental cart to the top of the hill overlooking the town and walk the sandy descent on the other side, the second face of Harbour Island opens up, like a well-kept secret hideaway: the spectacular Pink Sands Beach, which defies all superlatives and dares you to pull yourself away when it's time to leave. The subtleties of how the pinkish sand mixes with the bright, clear blue water in different hues, are mesmerizing, so it was hard to decide if I should spend my time just relaxing in the water or getting out my camera and taking photo after photo to capture all the images that were captivating my senses. My conclusion is that I had to do both in equal proportion, so that I could be caught up in the moment and still have these images to take back home and stare at on my computer whenever I wanted to transport myself back to that enchanted place.