Wat Karon

Two days a week, the grounds of the temple on Patak Road fill up with stalls, and that's the whole appeal. Tuesdays and Fridays, midday to 10pm, and outside those hours there's no market to see. Prices sit well below what you'll pay closer to the beachfront, which is the main reason to walk up here rather than eat where you're staying.

What's on sale shifts. Some people come away with handicrafts, spices and decent kids' clothing at prices that survive a bit of polite haggling. Others turn up to find fruit and not much else. Go with loose expectations. The stall near the exit selling scorpion, water bug, silkworm, bamboo worm, grasshopper and cricket is the one people remember, and the woman running it doesn't mind curious tourists. Early evening is the sweet spot, once the heat drops and more vendors have set up.

Push too hard on price and you'll get nowhere. A smile does more here than a hard bargain.