Lumphini Park

Rama VI gave this land to the city in the 1920s and it opened as Bangkok's first public park, named for the Buddha's birthplace in Nepal. It covers about fifty-seven hectares of lawns, mature trees and artificial lakes in the middle of the business district, with the Silom towers rising directly behind the trees. Its rhythms are fixed: joggers and outdoor gyms before six, mass aerobics classes to loud music in the late afternoon, tai chi groups, and swan pedal boats on the lakes through the day. The other residents are Asian water monitors, large lizards that live in the lakes and walk across the paths - some over two metres, entirely wild, and generally indifferent to people, though they should not be approached or fed. Numbers have been managed at times by relocating them. The park closes overnight and air quality in the dry season can be poor enough to affect exercise.

What you actually see

• The monitor lizards - large wild water monitors on the paths and in the lakes.
• The mass aerobics - late-afternoon classes to loud music on the plaza.
• The swan boats - pedal boats on the artificial lakes.
• The skyline - Silom's towers directly behind the trees.

When to go

November to February for the cool season. Early morning and late afternoon are when the park is in use; midday heat empties it. It closes overnight.

Honest expectations

The monitors are wild animals - do not approach or feed them. Dry-season air quality in Bangkok is frequently poor and affects exercise. The park is closed at night and gates shut early evening.

Nearby

Silom and Sathorn are alongside; Benjakitti Forest Park is linked by a skywalk to the east.