Parks and Recreation in Thailand

Most of us can count ourselves lucky for living in the Bangkok capital. Lately,  due to the rise of social media, more people are increasingly emphasizing their health and fitness. And living in Bangkok, there’s easy access to beautiful parks and scenery for us to work on improving our bodies and health. 

Compared to others living outside the capital, where access to parks is much harder. Besides having to contend with the occasional poisonous fiend from Mother Nature (*i.e. spiders, snakes, and bugs), you have the threat of uneven ground due to inclement weather during the season. Although 2022 has proven that weather seasons of the past can no longer be counted on. 

The parks in Bangkok are well-equipped and are remarkably very well maintained compared to other public facilities in the city. But it does seem like most of the parks are built on the same template. Running tracks and exercise facilities are built on the perimeter of a large body of water that forms the centerpiece of numerous parks in the city. 

While admirable efforts have been made to improve running tracks for marathoners, one area that is still lacking is decent and safe cycling tracks away from Thailand’s murderous traffic for cyclists. The only one that we can be proud of is the cycling track located on the border of Suvarnabhumi Airport. A five-kilometer ribbon of cycling track follows the curve of the river tributary that feeds into the airport. When the occasional airline passenger jet isn’t buzzing overhead, the location is a rather peaceful respite from the noise and traffic of the city. Perhaps, the Bangkok City Authority will consider building more such cycling tracks for the benefit of the cycling community.