Soi sauce

Confucius say man who walks through door sideways is going to Bangkok.

Yes, you are seeing a rare morning post here at LTG. It’s now or never, because I’ve got to be at a Hash run meet-up at 10:30. Not sure what I’m in for; I just know we are catching a ferry to some island and are Hashing there. Should be different and interesting and hopefully not too difficult.

I filled the hours yesterday by exploring the streets here in my part of Pattaya. I had some beers, food, and a massage along the way. My hotel is on Soi 4, so I started there and walked the length of each soi (between the main road and the beach) to see what there was to see. You might call it The Dirty Dozen because that’s how many roads I walked. There was the morning version (through Soi 8) and the nighttime edition, finishing on Soi 13-3 (I don’t understand the numbering system either, there were at least three variants of Soi 13). Anyway, in the interest of time, I’ll let the photos do most of the talking:

My neighborhood (for a couple more days)
There are no bars on Soi 5, but this Korean restaurant looks pretty nice.
Well, damn, I guess I have been looking for love in all the wrong places!
I encountered this street food stand complex along the main road between Soi 6 and 7.
It was too early in the day to be open yet, but I wondered about the name…
Ah, that explains it! I have no idea how they got that old 747 here or its purpose, but it seems pretty cool and eye-catching.
I like the beer bars on this soi better than the girly bars on Soi 6
Thai beauties (the non-bargirl variety)
She’s an older gal, but was so damn friendly she was able to entice me into her bar for my first beer of the day.

That bar above was right next door to where I received my first Thai massage since my last visit seven years ago. It was a nice rubdown that ended happily. She was good with her hands, and when she leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You give me 1000?” it was too hard to say no.

I headed back to the hotel after my rub and tug and the beer next door. Stopped into my favorite little restaurant for a light lunch.

Everything that comes out of that kitchen is tasty.

A post, a nap, a shower, then it was time to get back out on the street.

A thirst quencher here before heading on down the soi
Tall and crooked wins the race!
I got hooked for two beers here
I guess I was just enjoying the view
The view across the main road
Some of the streets were barless, and by the time I found this one, I really had to pee.
Since I used their toilet, I felt obligated to buy a beer. It looks to be a nice place, more a restaurant than a bar.
But there was a bar and I sat at it.
I was having a wonderful time
Lots of the bars feature live music, at least on the weekend

While I was enjoying my beverage of choice, I heard from Dave that he and Jo were back in town from their tourist excursion to the elephant sanctuary and wanted to join me. Wonderful Bar was pretty close to their hotel, so I didn’t have to wait long for company.

A lousy photo, but I was surprised to see another Wet Spot on Soi 13. The guy sitting out front said the other was on Soi 6, and I told him I’d been there. I also said we have our own Wet Spot in Barretto.
Soi 13-2 was more restuaranty…

Speaking of food, I needed some. We got to talking about possibilities and when Dave mentioned he’d seen a Taco Bell, it triggered a craving. It had been years since I’ve had that American fast food tribute to our Mexican neighbors.

The last of the sun as we made our way along Beach Road
And there it is! Now that I think about it, way back when, there was a Taco Bell on one of the side streets in Itaewon. I think it went out of business, though.
But I’d never seen a Taco Bell that sold cans of beer anywhere else in the world.
My oh my, nothing like a taco supreme!
The view from our table in front of Taco Bell. There was also a Burger King, a Sizzler Steak House, and a Swenson’s ice cream parlor. You’ve been gone from home a long time when you start missing food franchises.
If you drink, don’t fly!

We had one last beer at the original Wonderful Beer Bar, then called it a night. I caught a Baht Bus for the ride back to Soi 4. But something was calling out to me before I reached my hotel.

Sorry, not sorry!

Alright, time to get ready to Hash with the Pattaya Jungle Hashers. Let the adventure begin! It will likely involve a few beers.

3 thoughts on “Soi sauce

  1. Forgot to congratulate you on surviving your rub-and-tug without breathing issues. Not exactly the kind of data point I’d prefer to focus on, but this problem was mentioned in the past, so it’s a point of reference.

  2. I did have some breathing difficulty, but not nearly as bad as that first time. I had a bigger attack on the Hash trail, but my portable nebulizer saved the day.

    I woke up this morning, and my phone was dead and won’t take a charge. The wifi in my room doesn’t work (I’d been using my phone hotspot), so I’m fucked. I went to the next-door restaurant with my laptop to see what I missed.

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