Nothing like Nasugbu
NASUGBU, Batangas. There’s nothing like this corner of Paradise just over 100 kilometers south of Metro Manila, bound in the west by nothing but the open sea.
That’s why sunsets in Nasugbu are breathtaking. Vivid orange and red quietly give way to the clear night sky speckled with stars brighter than one is accustomed. The best spot to stargaze is on your back on the gray sand fine as powder, with the cool sea playfully lapping on the shore.
The beach early in the morning is as much a sight with its bright blues and yellows. Arrive early enough and you can even buy fish direct from the fishermen tugging the night’s catch onto shore.
On a clear day Fortune Island in the horizon is visible as well as a hut-shaped structure jutting out from the middle of the water. Shh. We’re really not supposed to talk about where the mag-asawang alon live.
For a picnic on the beach you don’t need to bring anything. Hawkers abound selling colorful native kakanin while sari-sari stores are never too many steps away.
Bamboo cabanas could be rented for the day or overnight or your can simply spread out you’re a blanket and enjoy the naked sun.
There are many resorts to choose from if, unfortunately, you do not have family to stay with in Nasugbu.
Options range from the affordable Johndel or Vitug resorts in the poblacion to the more luxurious ones like Club Punta Fuego or Canyon cove in Barangays Balaytigue and Natipuan ( or simply “sa taas” if you ask a local).
Most allow you to cook you own food. It’s highly recommended to have fried buradol ( dried and seasoned flying fish) for breakfast; a side dish of puto and kuchinta is optional. They’re ready to be had from the central market, the trip to which is a pleasant experience on its own.
Don’t miss buying native barako coffee or, for those with a sweet tooth, the gina-ok (canned molasses). For lunch ask your host to prepare sinaing na tulingan, a local specialty.
If you don’t fancy slaving over the stove, there’s Dalampasigan restaurant (no directions necessary, everybody knows where it is), Café de Nasugbu on Concepcion St. and the fast food chains on the highway.
Aling Seling’s halo- halo, just a few blocks from the market, is a veritable pilgrimage site. Try to put your orders early though; the place— which is still in its original spot underneath the proprietor’s house— is always seriously packed.
A good time to visit is during the Holy Week when life- sized religious statues and devotees parade around the town in a procession that can take as long as 3 hours. Witness penitents flog themselves in the beach around sunrise or pray with them at the lumang simbahan, a church that seemed to have grown out of the trunk of old acacia trees.
The fiesta on Dec. 3 is another good time to visit. It’s practically open house everywhere; the only catch is you can’t turn down offers of a meal.
If this sounds like a shameless pimping of Nasugbu, that’s because it is. The Tourism Department’s entreaty to Filipinos to promote their own—because It’s More Fun in the Philippines— has given everyone of us license to advertise the country.
That said, Nasugbu would greatly benefit when local authorities take tourism more seriously. Unless, of course, shabby chic is the campaign they prefer.
As mentioned earlier, the beach is breathtaking with kilometers upon kilometers of sand and surf open to the public.
The sunset here is easily compared to the dramatic sunset in Jimbaran where diners enjoy Balinese and international cuisine al fresco. Except in Nasugbu there are no restaurants by the beach. The resorts have a kitchen with a menu that can be improved and ramshackle huts in several sections of the beach, particularly in the traditional Dalampasigan “entrance.”
The atmosphere is bucolic and some tourists prefer as such. However, visitors would also benefit if there was a diversity in dining and entertainment establishments like in Hua Hin, Thailand.
Massage or spa services that are all too available in Bali’s Jimbaran district will give tourists another activity. As far as I know, only Kuya Rudy’s reflexology center on Consuelo St. and the hilot offering traditional massage in the living room provide similar services.
That said, nothing will compete with Nasugbu in my eyes with or without infrastructure development. Nil.
johnnavg@hotmail.com