Nasipit

I frequented visiting Nasipit this year, a 20 km town from Butuan. Before, I had only gone this far when I traveled to Cebu via the town port or passed it when I headed to Cagayan de Oro. That fated December encounter changed the meaning of this place for me, and now I have developed an affinity for this municipality.

Nasipit is a coastal town between Buenavista and Carmen, the last three municipalities of Agusan del Norte before Misamis Oriental, one of the five provinces of Region X or Northern Mindanao. It takes half an hour to travel from home to get there. I usually travel past 5 in the afternoon, and the busyness of the national highway diminishes at this point. In general, the view is excessively green with rice fields and trees. The experience is therapeutic.

This town offers not much but, ironically, more than enough. It could boast about local fishing and decent swimming areas. The imported fruits and vegetables manage to meet the demand. Generally, trade is substantial. With flexible working hours and a personal vehicle, I could settle here.

I used to debate whether the person or the place makes the experience memorable. I like the silent afternoons of Nasipit while having late lunch and lemonades. But I also adore the company that I have here and the safety that embraces my masked fragility. So, it is both. They complement each other like two people who embrace the sharp pieces of one another.  

Nasipit understands that I do not demand much but warmth. That I want to explore the market on a Sunday in a comfortable, borrowed shirt for fresh ingredients, kakanin, and halo-halo as much as I want to dine in a new city and explore old museums as a traveler with newly bought charms and bracelets.

This new connection feels easy and natural to stare at. It is like when I am out with a bare face but do not feel burned by the sun. Mundanity is the theme, and I favor it very much. Nasipit whispers, "escape to me." That is very much what I want.