🇵🇭 BAGUIO • 2600 Gastropub: When Zip Code Turns Into Night Life

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Edmar del Castillo Guquib at Saturday, September 05, 2015 0

Stories of town explorations.

"Then, the playlist went on and it made me wild, almost shedding tears, remembering the good old days in favor of nostalgia."

[BAGUIO, BENGUET, PHILIPPINES] ▬ It was a spring in the desert. The boredom of the night fled away. The music of the 90's was the real music we missed. 90's kids celebrate! This is night life without getting nasty, drunk and high—clubbing the wholesome way with the nostalgia of 90's vibe, some great food and a little bit of beer without getting wasted which is exactly what I love and advocate. Abusing your body should never become an option. No pressure, you can be kind and wholesome here as I was.

[BAGUIO] ▬ 2600 GASTROPUB, MAKE YOUR NIGHT IN BAGUIO GASTRONOMICALLY FUN

▬ My View of Night Life You Might Not Like, Sorry ▬

WELL, I AIN'T REALLY INTO THE NIGHT life that everyone is thinking. I am referring to clubbing, partying, drinking alcohol and other stuff I don't want to mention while doing it inside a public space shared with strangers. But I can be with the trend if you wish. Conflating with the trend is easy for me though I contemplate prior the doing. It's just that I am not comfortable exposing myself to clubs or night disco houses while being one with the party culture. I'm not saying I don't want to enter in clubs, I would want to. It's not just the kind of thing that I comfortably want.

If getting rid of night clubs is a form of stupidity and being uncool as you may want to call it, ok, close the case 'cause I'm a piece of the uncool. I have a different definition of being badass cool anyway.

In fairness, 2600 Gastropub has an emphasis on food so it's a safe place for nightout goers who do not focus on partying.

▬ I wasn't Pressured in 2600 ▬

I PUT MY LONG-SLEEVED TOP ON. I wanted to appear decent. This is a dinner anyway. Great thing I managed to pack something casually smart clothes in my backpack of above-the-knee shorts and mostly tank tops. Heck, carrying a heavy backpack during travel is so uncool. The vertebrae will surely cry out for help. Boy Scout skills worked out this time.

[BAGUIO] ▬ THAT'S WHAT I WORE. THIS IS A GROUFIE WITH MY AMAZING RACE TEAMMATES.

Honestly, I already had an idea that the place I am going is an assemblage of night party people. My instinct that time told me to get rid of the backpacker get up 'cause being too much different from the rest can be crazy even though you find being be-yourself-don't-care-others-say to be cool. It was my choice to look like that anyway.

I wanted to stand-out (if not to merely just blend) at least if circumstances warrant. I would like to mention that competing with others' dress to impress is not my kind of thing. My words are be decent and look respectable and you will go admired for that—basically that's how I think and see things.

[BAGUIO] ▬ FELLOW BLOGGER JUSTINE'S GET UP IN THE HOUSE: HE BLOGS ON FASHION

As I said, I would love entering night clubs—it's not just comfortable for me due to some personal reasons and advocacies.

I can be with the party people. I know the drill. I know the slangs. I know the heart of the party and I can even appear as party ace.

[BAGUIO] ▬ LIKE A VIP, OUR GROUP HAS A RESERVED SECTION. JEMAN, ENTERTAINMENT BLOGGER, HOLDS IT RIGHT.

[BAGUIO] ▬ THE BLOGGERS ARE IN THE HOUSE.

Anyway, no pressure on my part this time. It was good to know that several tables near the jock's lair were reserved for the very important guests, I'm included.

However, I cannot deny the fact that at the other tables, hardcores will be hardcores. I saw these party people losing themselves as the in-house air is already mixing with white smoke—from cigar most probably.

I even wanted to allege that at the other table, someone's smoking pot. But I wasn't sure if it really was but damn golden bong producing thick white smoke! WTF is for? All I know is that THC and nicotine don't spell out their names but they somehow give a clue based on the accessories. How I wish that thick white smoke coming from a man who inhaled from a bong was just a magic trick. Yeah, like magic show inside a club? Ok, this is a party house anyway. Don't expect priests coming to give a sermon.

[BAGUIO] ▬ JUICE, CAPPUCCINO FROTHY, SODA OR BEER?

Back to my immediate world, everything went silky smooth. No hard drinks with the popular street label was served; only to find out later that everything will be cocktails. 'Twas better, universe.

So right now, I don't have to deal with the pressure of associating myself with the drunkard image because I can easily conceal by putting up a glass of pineapple juice in front me. I wasn't pressured of getting caught on the camera with bottle of alcoholic beverages around because basically, everything was cocktail. Cool! I told you, I am not comfortable in settings like this unless the circumstances are safe. So, yes, it is safe in 2600. You can be decent and wholesome if you wish (I am referring to the 'very' conservative way. Mind you, there are also drunk gals and lads who still look decent.). No peer pressure. No social pressure. But high blood pressure will kick in if you're susceptible.

Please pardon my paranoia. I won't tell. Sorry for this blabbermouth in me.

▬ Interior 2015 ▬

I LEARNED THAT THIS PUB IS ROUGHLY 1 month old. Yeah, I was here on the 16th of May (2015) and it opened sometime in April. It's relatively new. Well, if ever this pub will find success in the future, I know I'm part of history. I was one of its earliest customers, mind you.

[BAGUIO] ▬ INTERIOR OF 2600 GASTROPUB

[BAGUIO] ▬ SOME PICTORIALS OUT THERE NOW THAT IT'S EMPTY

[BAGUIO] ▬ INTRICATE FLOORING

In light of the foregoing blabbering I've made, I am lucky to enjoy its original interior design. I know, the interior will change by time and I think I'm one lucky guy who has documented its original design inside. So what I will be writing on this article is actually now a part of its history. 100 years from now—maybe—and this article will be a precious piece for having documented its early days—that, if it will last for a century.

Anyway, I put my high cut shoes on, in the circle on the floor with detailed designs that are hard to spell. I took my camera and took a photo of my pair of shoes becoming stellar with its minimalistic appearance in the midst of complicated designs. Just plain brown pair of shoes. I can't remember if I donned a pair of socks. It doesn't suck anyway, does it? Sock the pack up!

▬ The Food ▬

I'VE WAITED FOR THE FOOD TO BE served. The cocktails came first. I managed to get a buzz before the food arrived.

All I knew was all the food served came in great presentation and they did dress to impress. The high expectation though was met, at least how I judged it.

Then suddenly, pies of pizza came and these bloggers gone crazy surrounding a food with their flash-emitting modern-day toys.

[BAGUIO] ▬ IT TASTED SHAWARMA. I WASN'T SURE IT REALLY WAS A SHAWARMA.

[BAGUIO] ▬ COOL PRESENTATION

[BAGUIO] ▬ I DON'T MEMORIZE THE NAME OF THE FOOD ON THE MENU. I JUST EAT 'EM LIKE THIS ONE.

[BAGUIO] ▬ I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS PIZZA!

[BAGUIO] ▬ PIZZA! PIZZA!

[BAGUIO] ▬ WHY CARE ABOUT THE NAME IF YOU CAN EAT THEM?

[BAGUIO] ▬ BLOGGERS GETTING CRAZY OVER THIS PIZZA.

[BAGUIO] ▬ FOOD GALORE

I want to get back with the paranoia 'cause I think I'm hooked with the cocktail buzz. The great food in front of me and the line of cocktails that seemed to appear as non-alcoholic with my glass emptied twice disguised my little hiprocrisy, sometimes getting a bit blatant, just a bit. Now I'm giving a clue.

As a revelation, I am acting like this because I am willfully allowing the pressure of the norms and traditional customs to get into me. I treat it as part of my self-regulation—that I won't take a slippery slope. I find keeping the subtle desires and suggestive cravings cute. Making it proud and blatant may lose the sweet spot as it may have been just a normal thing and we know for the fact that anything that is normal is flat.

So anyway, yes, food here doesn't suck. I think it's one of their best assets especially beneficial to those who reason out the food as their purpose why they're here keeping it safe from the passé (yet somehow right in many cases) dictum of the traditional public.

▬ The Music in the House▬

THE START OF THE FUN WAS INITIATED by techno vibe that made the house alive. I was near the disc jockey and I watched his every move. He sways his head with the headphones on.

He mans the mixer twisting and pressing some buttons one at a time.

[BAGUIO] ▬ DOING WHAT HE'S SUPPOSED TO DO

[BAGUIO] ▬ THE DISC JOCKEY

[BAGUIO] ▬ YOU ROCK, JOCK!

Suddenly I am hearing Kylie Minogue slaying her duet with Jason Donovan which was released in the extreme edge of the 80's making it a big hit in the 90's (Especially for You). My childhood fantasies resurrected. I realized I'm grown-up. For me, 90's is the golden era of the real music industry. It's my own perspective anyway because in the later decades, most music is no longer the music I once met in my childhood. Man, 90's is my standard of a good music.

Then, the playlist went on and it made me wild, almost shedding tears, remembering the good old days in favor of nostalgia. The songs are all very familiar and have a space in my heart. I grew up listening in these songs and I remember my days as a kid sitting on the edge of our room's window covered by night with a galvanized iron with the radio on secured by a black cable on a beam above my head to prevent it from falling. You see? I remember the details of decades-old memories and only my fave 90's music can make me do that.

I sang those songs loudly and wait for them to be played by 98.9 DWIS FM broadcasting less than a kilometer from our home (this station is no longer there *sad emoticon* uh). I wish I can go back to those days and play the care-free child that was me singing at the top of my lungs without thinking any life's problem. Only 90's music can make me this wild. If the music is spiced with a buzz, then I'm sorta high.

▬ So What About the Zip Code? ▬

BAGUIO'S ZIP CODE IS 2600. THE 2700 goes for my hometown. Anyway, 2600 Gastropub will never be lost from its host city that it even owned its zip code. Yes, its name is all about Baguio's postal code.

[BAGUIO] ▬ I LEFT THE PLACE THE PARTY IS STILL WARMING UP.

[BAGUIO] ▬ THE FAÇADE

Now that the postal code has turned into a name of a nightout destination, you can always associate your night life experience in 2600 Gastropub with Baguio.

▬ Conclusion ▬

So this nighTout was more of self-reflection, kinda weird, but it turned out to be like that. Well I loved the company of fellow bloggers. It was nice to have fun with these fellas.

I think the place was a trigger. It helped me rediscover myself.

[BAGUIO] ▬ IT WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH BUT EVERYTHING HAS TO END.

[BAGUIO] ▬ WE LEFT THE GASTROPUB UNSHAKEN. THE NIGHT MUST GO ON.

[BAGUIO] ▬ NEWLY FOUND FRIENDS

In everything that starts, it has to end. After experiencing the place, trying the dishes, singing with the 90's vibe and meeting new friends, the end has to come. What's great with coming to an end is the opportunity to start all over again and make it better. So there is no such thing as a sad ending. ▬ to be continued...

INDEX: INSIDE THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ WHAT I DID ON THE THIRD DAY? IT ACTUALLY SMELLED MORE FUN.

► BLOG SERIES: AZALEA SUMMER GETAWAY

Up Next: The night has to end, the second day too. But the third day is much better, more exciting and more physically-demanding. Watch out for Part 10.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Night Leisure." This category is a collection of stories about all the leisure activities that come along the night I've experienced. To see more posts from this category, scroll down and check the "More Posts From This Category" section below.

[2] This experience was made possible through Azalea Residences Hotel in Baguio City. I was invited to experience the Azalea hospitality.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2