PATTAYA, Thailand – Downtown Pattaya’s Soi Pothole has always been a bumpy ride popular with Brits. Thirty years ago it was known as Soi Concrete because only a handful of the 100 or so units were occupied. But they did include Seaside English and Thai restaurant which survives to this day and offers popular trencherman grub at a very fair price. Not to mention a long-forgotten fish and chips cafe which had to close in the 1990s because the owner couldn’t find enough potatoes in Pattaya.
In 2004 Brit Dave Collier moved in with his entrepreneurial Canterbury Tales bookshop and drop-in center which moved to a quieter and more salubrious area of town in 2023. At the time, Dave said the soi had become too noisy for the reading public and British expats were reluctant to bring their wives to a street now devoted to alcohol and horizontal leisure pursuits. The street’s potholes have always abounded in spite of occasional and half-hearted attempts to repair. Some experts say the holes have actually become an essential marketing tool for the soi both here and abroad.
These days, all the 100 units are operational except for one or two up for sale or under renovation. The premises change owners on a regular basis: make your money quickly (or not) and move on is the name of the game. Apart from a solitary laundry shop, every square serviceable inch is devoted to bars, clubs, massage shops, food and accommodation on both sides of the street. Beers start at around 55 baht and the hundreds of ladies are either tag (salaried) or freelance. How much they make depends on their looks, affability and command of the English language. Soi Pothole is overtly heterosexual. It’s true you can find outlets with ladyboys-a-plenty, but the customers don’t usually identify as gay. Somebody should write a PhD thesis on sexual self-identity in Pattaya.
The most crowded venue in the evenings is uniquely The Triangle, a large mixed-nationality bar at one end of the street with live music and entertainment seven nights a week. The most famous club is arguably Maggie May promoted as a sanctuary, a home-from-home with bar talk, friendly staff, well-kept draught beer and Guinness. It’s successful track-record means there are two others in the same group: Jomtien and on the “Darkside”. The many massage businesses in the soi begin as early as seven in the morning with any male passers likely to be asked whether they want a foot rub or a good time before a hearty breakfast.
Soi Pothole doesn’t appear to attract Indians or Chinese, except as gawpers, and the overall atmosphere remains British for the most part. English bar names, such as English Rose, dominate the scene and flags of the nations on display are almost invariable Thai and the Union Jack. Many of the bars are run by westerners, not all with work visas, and the sale of perfectly legal cannabis is not actively promoted. Maybe that’s to discourage too much police poking. Soi Pothole is a timely reminder that, although Pattaya is changing out of all recognition, there are reserved spots for a still-important traditional clientele looking for fun. Booze and sex are the name of the game. What tourist-orientated city in the world doesn’t offer them?
