At some point I think that all visitors to Bangkok feel the need to escape, even if only for a few hours, the noise and chaos that is ever-present. When we reached that point in our vacation, we quickly hailed a metered taxi, and for a mere $2 we were able to make a break! OK, so the actually transportation to the "break" was a harrowing one hour taxi ride, but hey, sometimes the end justifies the means.
There is a green oasis amongst the cement jungle that is Bangkok. It is called Lumpini Park, and it is sort of the Thai version of Central Park. It is a very large park that does not allow motorized vehicles. It is large enough that visitors are buffered from the noise and exhaust of the surrounding streets. Lumpini park has it all – trees, flowers, grass, lakes, creeks, quaint bridges, trails, benches…. Get the picture?
The park was filled with joggers (it is impossible to jog anywhere else in Bangkok as far as I could tell), bikers, and walkers. There were folks, like us, snoozing and reading in the sun next to the two smalls lakes. We even saw the stereotypical park icons – old men playing checkers (OK, so it wasn’t actually checkers, but it was some similar Thai game). There were birds that had also discovered the natural island. We were at Lumpini Park on a weekday, so there wasn’t a lot else going on. But I was told by someone in our group who had also visited the park, that there may be activities or programs on weekends.
Because of the long taxi ride, you may want to combine a trip to Lumpini Park with another activity in the area. The Chatuchak Market (only on weekends) is nearby, but that would definitely be combining a visit to the purest form of chaos with something that is supposed to be relaxing. I’m not sure what else is around, but if you venture that way, I recommend giving Lumpini Park a visit.