Every city needs to breathe. And hot, humid, and traffic-clogged Bangkok even more so. Sadly, open spaces are somewhat lacking in this crowded and fast-developing city. But there's one piece of royal real estate that has been left as green gift to the city – Lumphini Park. This Royal Park provides a meditative pause to Bangkok's sometimes hectic rhythms. A square of green and blue where the people of Bangkok come to walk, sit, play or keep fit. And above all, perhaps, to put city life to one side for a while, and breathe.
The Park was actually once outside of Bangkok proper when it was built in 1925. It was the vision of the-then King, Rama VI, to leave his people a park of natural beauty, for contemplation and meditation. It was named after the Nepal birthplace of the Buddha – Lumbini – and aimed to reflect its idyllic qualities. So the design incorporated lakes and streams, trees and lawns, all landscaped to perfection. Sadly the King died before his vision could be realised.
But the Park was finished by his brother, Rama VII, and has remained an island of green tranquillity, even as Bangkok has grown and swallowed the surrounding countryside. Now it is the home for any number of exercises and activities – some more unexpected than others. There's plenty of jogging, walking and cycling to be seen, along with tai chi and aerobics lessons, and an open-air gym. There are also sword dances, bird-watchers and metre-long monitor lizards, a little less expected.
Lumphini Park also plays host to regular classical and jazz concerts, has both a public library and a ballroom dance hall, and even has its own youth centre. The lakes are open to rowing and pedal boats, and there is a cluster of hot food stalls around the south-west gate – all that activity has a tendency to sharpen the appetite. But perhaps the best thing to do in Lumphini is to sit down, kick off your shoes and put Bangkok's busyness on pause – and breathe.
