The 'King and Queen' of Boracay islandBy Karen Flores, abs-cbnNEWS.com
In world-renowned tourist destination Boracay island, Leric and Apple Fernandez are the king and queen of their own castle -- one that's made of sand.
Considered the pioneers of sand castle art in the island, they have been building elaborate structures out of Boracay's fine white sand for the past 10 years.
Others eventually followed suit, but Leric and Apple didn't mind the competition -- they even made an effort to teach aspiring sand castle makers all that they know.
Now, some 6 huge and elaborate sand castles can be seen along Boracay's white sand beachfront, with a few little structures made by kids and tourists.
"We're the first to do this [make sand castles] here. We've taught the other locals how to do it, so now you see a lot of them here at the beachfront," Leric said in Filipino.
Every weekend, Leric and Apple build sand castles using Boracay's white sand and pristine waters, a task that usually involves 6 to 10 hours under the sun.
They swell with pride despite the sweltering heat whenever people get amazed and take a photo or two of their creations.
"It's great to know that we make people happy through our sand castles," Apple said in Filipino.
Only made of sand
For a king and queen of their own castle, however, Leric and Apple's life in Boracay is not quite luxurious.
The majesty of their creations do not accurately reflect their way of life -- tips from impressed beachgoers and occasional stints for weddings and events are the only things that help Leric and Apple get by each day.
Lucky for them, the influx of tourists this summer season makes them earn as much as P1,000 in a single day.
But during lean months when visitors are hard to come by, they barely earn a hundred pesos.
"We heavily rely on rackets at weddings and other events...It's hard, but we're trying to get by," Leric said in Filipino.
There even came a time when sand castle making was banned in the White Beach for "environmental purposes," Leric shared.
This was something that he and the locals heavily opposed as it temporarily stripped them of their livelihood.
"The whole ban on sand castles was nonsense. They said it's harming the beach, but all we're doing is using the sand and water to build castles. It's not as if we're taking them home or whatever. The sand's still there," he said in Filipino.
Passing the 'throne'
Leric and Apple have a 20-year-old son, but unfortunately, he's not as enthusiastic about sand castle making as his parents.
A working student in Manila, Leric shared that his son would rather do "other things." Still, the boy makes it a point to visit his parents when his schedule and budget would permit it.
"He has higher dreams, higher than making sand castles. And that's good for him," Leric said in Filipino.
Although no one's taking over their throne anytime soon, the king and queen of the White Sand beach in Boracay are proud to have raised a child who dreams of a better life -- better than the life that his parents grew up with.
Considered the pioneers of sand castle art in the island, they have been building elaborate structures out of Boracay's fine white sand for the past 10 years.
Others eventually followed suit, but Leric and Apple didn't mind the competition -- they even made an effort to teach aspiring sand castle makers all that they know.
Now, some 6 huge and elaborate sand castles can be seen along Boracay's white sand beachfront, with a few little structures made by kids and tourists.
"We're the first to do this [make sand castles] here. We've taught the other locals how to do it, so now you see a lot of them here at the beachfront," Leric said in Filipino.
Every weekend, Leric and Apple build sand castles using Boracay's white sand and pristine waters, a task that usually involves 6 to 10 hours under the sun.
They swell with pride despite the sweltering heat whenever people get amazed and take a photo or two of their creations.
"It's great to know that we make people happy through our sand castles," Apple said in Filipino.
Only made of sand
For a king and queen of their own castle, however, Leric and Apple's life in Boracay is not quite luxurious.
The majesty of their creations do not accurately reflect their way of life -- tips from impressed beachgoers and occasional stints for weddings and events are the only things that help Leric and Apple get by each day.
Lucky for them, the influx of tourists this summer season makes them earn as much as P1,000 in a single day.
But during lean months when visitors are hard to come by, they barely earn a hundred pesos.
"We heavily rely on rackets at weddings and other events...It's hard, but we're trying to get by," Leric said in Filipino.
There even came a time when sand castle making was banned in the White Beach for "environmental purposes," Leric shared.
This was something that he and the locals heavily opposed as it temporarily stripped them of their livelihood.
"The whole ban on sand castles was nonsense. They said it's harming the beach, but all we're doing is using the sand and water to build castles. It's not as if we're taking them home or whatever. The sand's still there," he said in Filipino.
Passing the 'throne'
Leric and Apple have a 20-year-old son, but unfortunately, he's not as enthusiastic about sand castle making as his parents.
A working student in Manila, Leric shared that his son would rather do "other things." Still, the boy makes it a point to visit his parents when his schedule and budget would permit it.
"He has higher dreams, higher than making sand castles. And that's good for him," Leric said in Filipino.
Although no one's taking over their throne anytime soon, the king and queen of the White Sand beach in Boracay are proud to have raised a child who dreams of a better life -- better than the life that his parents grew up with.
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