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| BarTech Facebook Page |
June 2, 2019
Today, I went to Bar Tech and I was not disappointed! I went on a whim
and was planning on getting one drink then leaving but when the live band
showed up, I decided to stay. The band’s name is The Treblemakers but I
couldn’t find their Facebook because there’s more than one band named The Treblemakers. I looked up the band specifically for the Philippines and it
turns out that there are multiple bands with that name.
It
is common for bands to perform covers of well-known songs in the Philippines. I
find it interesting and I actually want to get involved in singing in a band if
I get the chance. In the first semester, I was asked to join the band but I was
worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the events. I was able to keep up
with the New Tandem (the journalism organization of UNP) and I was involved
with an organization called the Young Mind Educators Club but YMEC didn’t do
anything for two semesters.
When I tried to look up the band name from the BarTech Facebook, I came
to find that the last post was on May 2nd. There were three people
in the band, one guy who played the acoustic guitar, a female singer, and a
female ‘drummer’ who also sang. I wanted to talk to them after they were done
but I have a curfew at 9pm so I had to leave around 8:45.
The
reason why I put drummer in quotes is because she wasn’t using a drum set.
Instead, she had a sound box that I need to search up so I can place a picture
below. It is common for Filipinos to use the sound box because it’s easier to
travel with and it’s easy to use. The pitch depends on where a person hits the
sound box. Closer to the top is a higher pitch and more of a snare while lower
is more of a bass.
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| Source |
According to wikipedia, the instrument is called a 'Cajón' but anyone I've asked in person here calls it a Soundbox.
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| To play the Cajón you have to sit on it and play it by striking it with your hand. I don't know their names but for the sake of this entry we'll call the one of the left the guitarist, the middle the singer, and the right is the 'drummer'. |
The drummer was the person who spoke the most, announcing that they were taking request and giving out any other information but because of the way the sound emitted from the speakers, I couldn’t quite catch everything she was saying in Tagalog. That and, I understand Ilocano better than Tagalog.
I
took more a of a ‘me’ day. I woke up late but it’s because I haven’t been able
to sleep well. I’ve always known about BarTech but I hadn’t approached the
place because usually, no one was willing to go with me. To be honest, I enjoy
the bar! The staff was really nice and I ordered a drink called the ‘Bob
Marley’
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| Margarita and Bob Marley |
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| Bob Marley |
The staff accidentally gave me a margarita (which at first I thought was part of the Bob Marley.) I took a sip of the shot and took a sip of the margarita and was like… I don’t know if I’m supposed to mix these or not. When I asked my waiter, he said that they were separate drinks.
Later, that same waiter asked me if I ordered a margarita. The
margaritas in this country are diluted (in my opinion or at least at this location). They weren’t bad but
they were not what I associated as ‘a margarita’. When the waiter realized his
mistake, I asked how much the margarita was. I ended up spending P510 which
calculated to $10. I did spend too
much but the drinks were worth it and the atmosphere is nice.
I
decided to keep the margarita and even ordered a second one. I was going to
order another shot but the shots were legitamently shots. I know that sounds
funny but at another bar that I’ve been too, the shot amount was not a
‘legitament’ shot and was more like two to three shots (which was fine with me).
Since the margaritas were the same price for more content, I decided to buy a
second one and sit and listen to the band.
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| In Filipino terms, this would have me trippin' off my shit but I was raised by a Irish man who taught me how to handle my shit. In truth, most Filipinos are lightweights in this country. A normal Filipino would be drunk off of the shot or the first margarita lol. |
The staff was very interactive and one of them (my main waiter) was really funny. While they were singing he pretended to play the keyboard and sing. When he turned and realized I was watching him, he blushed and walked away from the band. It wasn’t difficult to watch him, it’s not as if he was being secretive, standing next to the band as if he was part of it. I thought it was adorable and I would later catch him rocking out in between songs.
The
band ended up playing three request before I left. One song was in Tagalog,
another one was I’m Yours (not by Jason Mraz), and A World New World (yes, the
song off of Aladdin). I knew some of the songs they were singing and I even
knew some of the Tagalog songs. It made me think, I can do this. I can totally
sing these covers, all I have to do is practice!
Before I leave Vigan, I hope to visit BarTech again. I wouldn’t want to
go by myself but I may have to. I invited a friend of mine but he didn’t answer
my text. The night before, he had called me and asked me to join him because he
was drinking by himself. He knows I have a curfew but because he was drunk he
didn’t remember.
Overall, I have to say my first experience
at BarTech was nice! I sat inside (outside it stunk of sewage) so I took a seat
and enjoyed myself. I didn’t order any food because earlier I had been at Café
Uno and I had eaten there. Café Uno is a good place to chill and the food is
good but it’s not my taste. I enjoy their drinks and the food isn’t bad but the
food is meant to eat with more than one person. Usually, there’s wifi but I
wasn’t able to get on the connection the time I went.
If
any of my readers find themselves in Vigan and have the funds, I recommend
visiting both Café Uno and BarTech. Bartech opens after six in the afternoon
while I think Café Uno opens at nine in the morning but I’m not sure. I hope I
can find the page of the band because I wanted to like their Facebook and
present their links below but until I find them here are the links of the
places I went today.
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| Facebook Source |
Here are a few more pictures from that night!
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| There cute table decor! |
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| My phone wouldn't work unless I used the stylist ^^ |
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| Another Selfie! |
Part of their menu!
Also, down below are ways that you can keep up with me! It’s officially
vacation time and I hope to hear from my readers! Let me know your thoughts,
questions, and/or any comments! Thanks for reading, and tune in next week!
Keep up with me at the following:
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Wattpad
This will send me an email with your questions you don’t have to leave a name. I will post the answer to the blog!
This is mainly for communication so go ahead, add me. Message me every once in a while so that I remember who you are. Otherwise, I'll delete you at the end of the year when I clear through my facebook lol.
I follow anyone who follows me! This is mainly pictures of where I go!
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