Residents and visitors welcome Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

[webfact]

 

With the stress of working and living in big cities, a chance to enjoy a peaceful setting such as a public park is essential.

 

New York has its Central Park; London has the massive Hyde Park and Bangkok now has Benjakitti Park to add to Lumpini park.

 

A naturalistic public park has arrived in Bangkok, and it is not to be missed.

 

Phase two of the naturalistic public park Benjakitti Park opened quietly last month, offering visitors a new and exciting experience from other public parks in the city.

 

 

Much mor modern, minimalist, and naturalistic than say Lumpini, the Benjakitti Park includes a two-kilometer-long skywalk crisscrossing a peaceful country style view of wetlands surrounding with mounds of earth forming tiny islets.

 

Great addition for joggers

 

For health enthusiasts there is also a separate walking trail at ground level. Here the parks paths, both on the upper and lower levels, encourage you to keep walking and explore. They layout is quirky like a maze, almost making it fun to get lost.

 

The Park has cleverly converted land which was formerly part of the Tobacco Authority of Thailand.

 

Its entrance is from Ratchadaphisek Road, and one can see several high-rise buildings from all directions. 

 

 

If you are in the middle of the new park, which occupies over sixty-one rai excluding the final unfinished phase, you will not hear any traffic noises even though you are just a 15 to 20 minutes’ walk from BTS Asok station and Sukhumvit station of the MRT underground.

 

Operated by Bangkok City Hall, the park includes some existing mature rain trees, younger teak trees, and many planted saplings of species found in the forests that would markedly make the place even greener and more picturesque within a few years.

 

Now, sun lovers should visit the place during mid-afternoon for a good tan and more desolate environment.

 

After 5pm, more visitors will arrive, and some joggers would make strolling on the skywalk a less Zen experience.

 

 

Despite the Tadao Ando-esque use of bare concrete around the landscape architecture, the elevated walking path, which is over two meters wide and two-kilometer long, has no benches for park goers to sit, although there are some on the ground level.

 

There is also a bike lane around the park for cyclists between 6am to 5.30pm.

 

On the western end of the park, there is a large grass lawn surrounded by a half amphitheater, so hopefully there will be some music events to enjoy in the future.

 

There are twelve levels of slope made of bare concrete where one could just sit and watch the views of nature, the skyline, and other people relaxing and playing frisbee.

 

The Park is open daily from 05.00-21.00hrs.

 

Hopefully, the park will inspire people to exercise, or just taken in some country in the middle of one of Asia’s busiest cities.

 

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[samtam]

The new section of Benjakitti does look wonderful, as do the new canal parks, (beginning along the Narathiwas/Sathorn intersection). I long to use them, but fear for my lungs in this hideous AQI (currently 170). If that doesn't get me, the dreaded Omicron will be a danger, given its high transmissibility.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, samtam said:

The new section of Benjakitti does look wonderful, as do the new canal parks, (beginning along the Narathiwas/Sathorn intersection). I long to use them, but fear for my lungs in this hideous AQI (currently 170). If that doesn't get me, the dreaded Omicron will be a danger, given its high transmissibility.

'Anothercon' is the least of my worries.  Need a N95 just to breathe outdoors, a few months of the year in Krung Thep & northward of.

 

'Green' areas & canals are coming along nice though.  Can't wait till rainy season for a visit. ????

Edited January 10, 2022 by KhunLA

[cocoonclub]

Let me guess: another nice park that is not dog-friendly? 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The first couple pictures in the OP report are showing the ORIGINAL park area with its large lake, while only the last photo in the set is showing the newly opened portion of the expanded park.

 

We've lived nearby there for many years, and the wife and I have been there for exercise and walking several times in the past week to see the latest developments.

 

Even though a whole new area has just opened, that being the wetlands section with its interesting set of elevated walkways, there's still a lot of additional park development slated to occur there and remaining undone for the present.

 

Also, after a LONG time, the original Benjakitti Park area around the lake there has never yet quite made it back to its original splendor, after being subjected to a massive phased construction project apparently to improve drainage in the area that tore up large sections of the original park area.

 

For example, the original bike path circling the lake remains closed to cyclists, even though the construction that previously had obstructed it has been completed. The bicycling area has been shifted over to a perimeter of the expanded park area.

 

Also, the former wooden deck sitting areas around perimeter portions of the lake (where people used to go to launch their loy kratong floats, take photos, etc.) have been removed and replaced with plain concrete deck surfaces that remain roped off to the public for some reason.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This layout map of the park comes from a new display board at the park that I snapped a photo of. I've annotated it to show and describe the different areas, to the best of my knowledge.

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Liverpool Lou]

16 hours ago, cocoonclub said:

Let me guess: another nice park that is not dog-friendly? 

Let's hope so, it's a public park, not a canine convenience.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[MarkyM3]

18 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The first couple pictures in the OP report are showing the ORIGINAL park area with its large lake, while only the last photo in the set is showing the newly opened portion of the expanded park.

 

We've lived nearby there for many years, and the wife and I have been there for exercise and walking several times in the past week to see the latest developments.

 

Even though a whole new area has just opened, that being the wetlands section with its interesting set of elevated walkways, there's still a lot of additional park development slated to occur there and remaining undone for the present.

 

Also, after a LONG time, the original Benjakitti Park area around the lake there has never yet quite made it back to its original splendor, after being subjected to a massive phased construction project apparently to improve drainage in the area that tore up large sections of the original park area.

 

For example, the original bike path circling the lake remains closed to cyclists, even though the construction that previously had obstructed it has been completed. The bicycling area has been shifted over to a perimeter of the expanded park area.

 

Also, the former wooden deck sitting areas around perimeter portions of the lake (where people used to go to launch their loy kratong floats, take photos, etc.) have been removed and replaced with plain concrete deck surfaces that remain roped off to the public for some reason.

Sad to hear that. I regularly stayed near Benjakitti when in Bangkok and used it most days for walking. Not been in Bangkok for 2 years so was looking forward to the "new improved" version. What on earth they are thinking getting rid of the wooden decking and not even allowing access to what replaced it......C19 paranoia?  

Edited January 11, 2022 by MarkyM3

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, MarkyM3 said:

Sad to hear that. I stayed near Benjakitti when in Bangkok and used it near daily for walking. Not been in Bangkok for 2 years so was looking forward to the "new improved" version. What on earth they are thinking getting rid of the wooden decking and not even allowing access to what replaced it......C19 paranoia?  

 

Have no idea, and of course, such things rarely get publicly explained....

 

If I were guessing, I'd guess the original wood decking was getting worn due to long-term exposure to water, and/or, they wanted to avoid that for the future. Just guessing....

 

But why the now replacement concrete decking areas remain closed off remains a mystery.  Dunno if they're planning to do something more in those areas or what....

 

Also, I believe, the long-time bicycle rental shop that used to be lakeside there is gone, as is the lake paddle boats operation there -- notwithstanding the old photo of them posted in the OP.

 

Likewise, no known reason given for why the former bicycle track around the lake remains closed to bicyclists, and they are only allowed now during certain hours (until 5:30 p.m.) in certain areas of the expanded park area across the road.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Some views today of the state of the original Benjakitti Park area, after the apparent completion of a long drainage-related reconstruction project there that had parts of the original park closed for many months, while work was ongoing across the road on the adjoining new park expansion areas.

 

The lake boats are gone:

 

The bicycle rental shop is gone (since currently no bicycle riding is allowed on the former bike track around the lake):

 

The former wooden decking along most of the western edge of the lake is gone and been replaced by ugly and apparently unfinished concrete surfaces, with the former lakeside areas closed off to the public, and the former benches there left in decay.

 

 

 

 

 

The former street enclave of old Thai style wooden houses and retail shops between the north edge of the park and the adjoining khlong near the Soi 10 entrance have been removed/demolished, and that area adjoining the parking entrance off Ratchadaphisek Road is supposed to become some kind of nature area.

 

 

 

And as usual, after the private contractors finished all their construction work that had areas of the original park closed for many months, they took great care to put everything back to rights  ????

 

 

 

 

 

But at least, they did manage to take care of a couple of the essentials:

 

 

 

 

Yet despite all of the above, it remains a pretty nice place to walk and/or jog around the lake and the original park area:

 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 1/10/2022 at 8:01 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

This layout map of the park comes from a new display board at the park that I snapped a photo of. I've annotated it to show and describe the different areas, to the best of my knowledge.

 

 

And as I discovered today, this whole area shown below in light blue along the north edge of the park between the Soi 4 and Soi 10 intersections is currently under construction and more or less impassable, unless you want to hike over dirt piles and construction debris.

 

 

And the adjoining brown colored area designated as a future Sports Building remains, for now, just the shells of several old Tobacco Monopoly buildings.

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

I probably had unreasonable expectations, after years of "artist renderings", so needless to say I am disappointed so far, and give this "park' a 3 out of 10.

 

I don't know what the goals and objectives were, and the park is not yet finished (the RTA is the prime contractor), but it seems suitable more for selfies, and photos, than for mass public use.

 

The narrow, elevated walkways actually separate you from the park. There is a lot of water and wetlands, way too much, resulting in unusable space.

 

There are some nice touches, like the area around the amphitheatre.

 

Is it better than the monstrosity that was The Thai Tobacco Monopoly? Yes, of course. 

 

The Green Mile extension north to Ploenchit along Duang Pitak Road could be nice but suspect it will turn back into parking spaces, and food cart storage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viWVd2eqbIk

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by mtls2005

[KhunLA]

On 1/10/2022 at 7:11 PM, cocoonclub said:

Let me guess: another nice park that is not dog-friendly? 

Soi dogs only .... ????

 

Post critique ... disappointed.   Any 'green' area will do, and a welcome change for Krung Thep.  Just hope it's maintained and has plenty of bins for trash.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

The narrow, elevated walkways actually separate you from the park. There is a lot of water and wetlands, way too much, resulting in unusable space.

 

There is a companion network of paved ground walkways that traverse the wetlands areas of the newly opened park addition. So, people have their choice of walking elevated or at ground level. Thus far, the elevated walkways appear to be more used/popular, especially for picture taking! ????

 

Also, the elevated walkways are not, to me, particularly narrow. They're wide enough to accommodate probably at least 4 people walking side by side together.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Soi dogs only .... ????

 

Post critique ... disappointed.   Any 'green' area will do, and a welcome change for Krung Thep.  Just hope it's maintained and has plenty of bins for trash.

 

I see see a number of different trash bin receptacles in the newly opened park area... If I'm not mistaken, even sets of them with different colored bins for different types of refuse. Whether they're enough for the park, that I couldn't say.

 

The park expansion area to me really is divided into two entirely different types of park areas...

 

--The original previously opened expansion area, near the main parking lot, is a mostly flat, grass and trees area where people could sit around and lounge on the grass.

 

--The recently opened wetlands area, except for the grass Amphitheatre area, doesn't have much open grassy space and instead is varying versions of wetlands space that are more for observing and enjoying, but not really places people could sit down to  lounge and enjoy a picnic.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Frankly, apart from the new expanded park areas there, I'm more dismayed at the state at which the BMA has left the ORIGINAL Benjakitti Park areas around the lake.

 

That original park area right now, to me, is in worse shape than it was prior to the long drainage construction project that the BMA undertook there. And thus far, the contractors and BMA haven't really restored it to the very nice place it was before (as I tried to to illustrate with the photos I posted above).

 

The new expansion park areas are nice, but how about fixing/restoring the original Benjakitti Park areas that you ravaged via construction.

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

The Green Mile extension north to Ploenchit along Duang Pitak Road could be nice but suspect it will turn back into parking spaces, and food cart storage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viWVd2eqbIk

 

 

Thanks for posting a link to that YT video above.

 

For me, it answered one of the key questions I've been wondering about, and that is, yes, the BMA appears to have a plan to connect the elevated walkways section of the expanded Benjakitti Park areas with the existing elevated bike path connecting Benjakitti and Lumpini parks.

 

The video shows the stub of the future connection off the existing elevated bike path at about the 2:23 minute point.... But it's clearly a long way from  being completed.

 

Though one issue about that, at least as things stand right now, is that the elevated walkways in the current Benjakitti Park wetlands expansion are DO NOT allow bicycles...only pedestrian traffic. So I'm not sure what value that future connection to the elevated bike path is going to have, except for walkers and runners.

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[mtls2005]

23 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The recently opened wetlands area, except for the grass Amphitheatre area, doesn't have much open grassy space and instead is varying versions of wetlands space that are more for observing and enjoying,

 

"Oh look honey it's a swamp."

 

Thank goodness they expanded the nearby monkey-cheeks, otherwise the wetlands might become just "wet" during rainy season.

 

And did we mention it's been built on unremediated land with 50+ years of tobacco manufacturing chemicals added in.

 

If ever there could be a Swamp Thing it might have its origin story in this park. Maybe one the young cadets goes missing? Although the nearby khlong, might be a more primordial ooze? The smell is staggering sometimes. And the monitor lizards plying its inky depths are strong critters.

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

31 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

"Oh look honey it's a swamp."

 

Thank goodness they expanded the nearby monkey-cheeks, otherwise the wetlands might become just "wet" during rainy season.

 

And did we mention it's been built on unremediated land with 50+ years of tobacco manufacturing chemicals added in.

 

If ever there could be a Swamp Thing it might have its origin story in this park. Maybe one the young cadets goes missing? Although the nearby khlong, might be a more primordial ooze? The smell is staggering sometimes. And the monitor lizards plying its inky depths are strong critters.

 

 

Understand what you're saying.... But really, the expanded park has areas to suit various uses/purposes.

 

There are open grass spaces both in the original park around the lake, and in the first previously opened phase of the park expansion, for human recreation.

 

I assume, the newer wetlands expansion isn't meant as a place for picnics, but instead, a nature preserve for local plants and birds and such. It's also meant to be a large greenspace for cooling and helping with climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and increasing oxygen in the atmosphere... hence the term, Bangkok's "Green Lung."

 

[normanx1234]

Just wondering how easy it is to get from the Green Mile (coming from Lumpini) into the park? From comments made, there seems to be several 'Yet to be Developed' areas in the way.

 

Alternatively, is the entrance near the MRT station (Queen Sirikit) now open as this was closed during the development stage?

 

Thanks

[phetphet]

I hope they put plenty of benches for people to sit, relax and enjoy their surroundings.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, normanx1234 said:

Just wondering how easy it is to get from the Green Mile (coming from Lumpini) into the park? From comments made, there seems to be several 'Yet to be Developed' areas in the way.

 

Alternatively, is the entrance near the MRT station (Queen Sirikit) now open as this was closed during the development stage?

 

Thanks

 

You can take the existing elevated, old bike path that runs from Lumpini Park to the Suk Soi 10 entrance Benjakitti Park. That  route works either for walking, running or bicycling.

 

[mtls2005]

18 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I assume, the newer wetlands expansion isn't meant as a place for picnics, but instead, a nature preserve for local plants and birds and such.

Like I said, I don't know what the goals and objectives were.

 

18 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There are open grass spaces both in the original park around the lake

Yes, of course, not sure this was even under discussion. The existing park was/is OK, except for the run-down nature you've highlighted. I assume - hmm, this assuming thing is awesome -  they've run through their budget - skim, skim - and are waiting a new release of funds.

 

On 1/12/2022 at 1:54 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Also, the elevated walkways are not, to me, particularly narrow. They're wide enough to accommodate probably at least 4 people walking side by side together.

Promenade two by two.

 

 

18 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

It's also meant to be a large greenspace for cooling and helping with climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and increasing oxygen in the atmosphere... hence the term, Bangkok's "Green Lung."

OK, now you're going all Science-guy on us. 

 

How many trees did they remove - a lot - to make this "green" lung? And why does green lung sound so much worse than black lung?

 

 

Look, it's OK, but let's not get all effusive here.

 

To me it's a cheap knock-off of the Cloud Forest/Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, and in a year or two it will will be dilapidated. At least the black mold will have many, many more surfaces on which to grow.

 

 

The "Yet to be Developed" portions, significant in size, may do much ro redeem my current take on this "park".

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by mtls2005

[steven100]

17 hours ago, phetphet said:

I hope they put plenty of benches for people to sit, relax and enjoy their surroundings.

I hope they put a bar there for people to sit, relax and enjoy their cool drink.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 hours ago, phetphet said:

I hope they put plenty of benches for people to sit, relax and enjoy their surroundings.

 

The first, previously opened expansion area of the park, the flat grassy section nearest to the main parking lot, has a lot of benches and trash receptacles spread throughout.

 

From my walking yesterday, there seemed to be fewer individual places to sit among the various concrete paths going thru the newly opened wetlands expansion area -- although the big outdoor amphitheatre area there is designed with tiered levels to allow a lot of outdoor seating all in one place.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

I hope they put a bar there for people to sit, relax and enjoy their cool drink.

 

Interestingly, especially for Thailand, I don't believe there are ANY concession stands/locations for pretty much anything anywhere in the original park or the recent expansion areas right now. Don't think you can even get a bottle of water there.

 

 

[mtls2005]

On 1/14/2022 at 2:35 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Interestingly, especially for Thailand, I don't believe there are ANY concession stands/locations for pretty much anything anywhere in the original park or the recent expansion areas right now. Don't think you can even get a bottle of water there.

There are tasteful retail outlets for food and drink in Lumpini, no reason that can't or won't be done in this park, especially when the buildings (indoor sports buildings, museums, amphitheaters and demonstration fields) in the NW and SE corners are completed.

 

After reading this article (in thai but translates well) I have a better appreciation for the designers and the goals they have.

 

 

https://readthecloud.co/benchakitti-park/?fbclid=IwAR3DkkFJoaLgvM2fj_3jokXy1rBRVcgvxmZZk_HAmghmWSnbgnkw64o4gdw

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

https://readthecloud.co/benchakitti-park/?fbclid=IwAR3DkkFJoaLgvM2fj_3jokXy1rBRVcgvxmZZk_HAmghmWSnbgnkw64o4gdw

 

 

Interesting article, even via TH translation.

 

Just to be clear for folks, neither the planned Sports nor Museum buildings appear to be anywhere close to completion, and when I've been out at the park at various times in the past week, I haven't seen any active construction/development going on at either of those two sites, though perhaps I've been arriving too late in the afternoon.

 

Before reading the article above, I wasn't sure if they were planning to re-purpose the old Tobacco Monopoly buildings that remain on the site, or built new buildings from scratch. But I think the article you posted makes it pretty clear that they're going to be repurposing the existing buidlings that remain into the planned future uses.

 

The one part in the article that took me by surprise, if it translated correctly, was the notion of apparently planning to divert water from the adjoining khlong that runs along the north edge of the park, which you not incorrectly described above as having "primordial ooze," into the wetlands area of the new park with some envisioned means of remediation (though couldn't quite tell exactly what that would be).