Back in Bangkok. Four days of 'work' and I'm already thinking of ways to get out of the city. I was stuck in traffic for over an hour the other night and it really solidified my view that I, Suzanne, was not meant to be stuck in traffic. I was meant to be in a place where 'stuck in traffic' means it takes 12 minutes to get somewhere rather than the normal 7 minutes. Not sitting in the back of a tuk-tuk, getting smoked out by a bus and feeling secretly glad that I grabbed a tuk-tuk rather than a taxi because I would be paying tons more to sit in a taxi.
But no, it's not for me. I prefer a slightly more peaceful side of Bangkok and to find it, you have to be willing to get up early. Well, 6:30 is early enough to make it to Lumpini Park, a large green space about a 10 min walk away from my house. The air feels almost fresh at that time of the morning...almost. I walk to the park and then do a 20 minute run around its perimeter. There is no 'running track' per se, just a road that everyone uses; cyclists, runners, walkers, whoever. It makes for quite an obstacle course once you get going, especially when you add the stray dogs sleeping in the middle of the road.
But it's not the peaceful, pastoral scene you might think. At various spots all over the park, people have set up little exercise areas to stretch, drink juice and karaoke. One person will sing some lovely Thai ballad while the rest stretch and drink. One area even has an umbrella and different exercise machines (like those ones from the 50's where you put a belt around your hips and the machine shakes the fat out of you, apparently).
That's just the karaoke people. Then there are the people doing t'ai ch'i. I'm not sure what the different groups are, but there are quite a few that practice this martial art in the park. Some of them have speakers too, with instructions and songs blasing from them as well.
And then there are the dancers. There are fewer of these in the morning. They usually practice at night at different paved areas. There are the ballroom dancers, the Thai dancers and the hip-hoppers, all within close proximity, practicing.
Add the various joggers, walkers, dogs, vendors, cyclists, motorcycle taxi drivers and the komodo dragon that runs free in the park (rumoured to eat small children and dogs), and you have Lumpini Park.
Very peaceful indeed.
But no, it's not for me. I prefer a slightly more peaceful side of Bangkok and to find it, you have to be willing to get up early. Well, 6:30 is early enough to make it to Lumpini Park, a large green space about a 10 min walk away from my house. The air feels almost fresh at that time of the morning...almost. I walk to the park and then do a 20 minute run around its perimeter. There is no 'running track' per se, just a road that everyone uses; cyclists, runners, walkers, whoever. It makes for quite an obstacle course once you get going, especially when you add the stray dogs sleeping in the middle of the road.
But it's not the peaceful, pastoral scene you might think. At various spots all over the park, people have set up little exercise areas to stretch, drink juice and karaoke. One person will sing some lovely Thai ballad while the rest stretch and drink. One area even has an umbrella and different exercise machines (like those ones from the 50's where you put a belt around your hips and the machine shakes the fat out of you, apparently).
That's just the karaoke people. Then there are the people doing t'ai ch'i. I'm not sure what the different groups are, but there are quite a few that practice this martial art in the park. Some of them have speakers too, with instructions and songs blasing from them as well.
And then there are the dancers. There are fewer of these in the morning. They usually practice at night at different paved areas. There are the ballroom dancers, the Thai dancers and the hip-hoppers, all within close proximity, practicing.
Add the various joggers, walkers, dogs, vendors, cyclists, motorcycle taxi drivers and the komodo dragon that runs free in the park (rumoured to eat small children and dogs), and you have Lumpini Park.
Very peaceful indeed.
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