Cicada Night Market in Hua Hin

This could be the best thing that ever happened to me in Thailand. I took the train from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin via Bangkok in desperate search of a beach to lie on and a sea to swim in. Hua Hin is a Thai seaside resort frequented by the middle class from Bangkok rather than going to Pattaya which is not so clean and is notorious for sex tourism and even worse, the Russian Mafia.

On the recommendation of the Gypsy Jazz musicians I previously met, I checked into a cheapish Guest House opposite the station and immediately contracted some very nasty bites all over my body. I didn’t stay there very long! The room I have now is brand new and almost my second home. The Landlady, Lyla Bavaria speaks English and German, is an excellent cook and loves my magic to the extent that she wants me to teach her regardless the fact that she’s left handed!

On Friday I took the tuk tuk to the Cicada Night Market for 10 Baht to check out the busking possibilities. This place is awesome! Loads of pitches and very relaxed and leaning towards arts and crafts and cultural activities. There are two stages, one for theatre and one for music. The organisation (Nat and Cher) were very friendly and showed me a few possible pitches to perform. They asked about how I got paid and I showed them my hat! This is an excepted way to earn money here.

Inspite of the tropical humidity and a modest 29 degrees at 8pm when I started, I managed to pull off two shows on Saturday evening. My shirt was literally clinging to my chest with sweat and my flash papers were all soggy but nobody seemed to notice. Once again very difficult to make myself understood. When I ask for a volunteer no-one responds and when I crack a ripper of joke no one laughs but the Thais are very generous and the count at the end of the evening back at my Guest House was a modest 1,500 Baht.

I was back on Sunday (the market runs 3 nights week Friday to Sunday) a little earlier and it was a little cooler so I pulled off 3 shows before 9 pm with no less than 1,300 Baht in my hat and the beauty of all this is that I get to keep all of it!