Confused Backpacker Mistakes Soi 6 for Cultural Heritage Site
By KIP DUNGWORTH, STAFF REPORTER
PATTAYA, THAILAND — A British backpacker sparked mild concern and major secondhand embarrassment Monday after attempting to lead a self-guided “heritage tour” down Pattaya’s notorious Soi 6, believing it to be a site of cultural significance.
Eyewitnesses say 26-year-old Liam Butterworth, wearing linen trousers and a GoPro, arrived on the infamous bar-lined street around 10 a.m., holding a dog-eared Lonely Planet and loudly explaining the “historical context” of each open-air hostess bar.
“He kept saying things like, ‘Ah yes, classic French colonial architecture,’” said one barmaid who gave her name only as Fon. “There hasn’t been a Frenchman on this street since the Navy left.”
Butterworth, who arrived in Thailand two weeks ago on a one-way ticket and vague intentions to “find himself,” told patrons he was researching “authentic Thai cultural practices.” He took several selfies in front of a glass-fronted go-go bar named Lady Volcano, which he described as “a shrine to fertility.”
“He asked me if the dancers were part of a traditional ceremony,” said a confused security guard. “I told him yes. He tipped me 200 baht.”
According to sources close to the Chang tower he was carrying, Butterworth had recently completed a three-day silent retreat in Chiang Mai and was “trying to reconnect with the energy of the land.” When informed what Soi 6 is actually known for, he reportedly nodded solemnly and said, “That explains the energy.”
He was last seen trying to trade his shoes for a foot massage and asking if the women “accept PayPal.”
Tourism officials declined to comment, but one insider noted that while Soi 6 may not be on the UNESCO list, it remains “deeply educational — just not in the way he thinks.”
Butterworth is expected to continue south toward Koh Phangan, where he plans to open a wellness podcast.