Oooh, I love Lumpini Park! It’s my new favorite place in Bangkok. I woke up at 6 am this morning (I’m so brave), put on my stretchy pants, hooked up my iPod, and went briskly striding off to exercise. The park is surrounded by a tall fence, but there are little gates set here and there, and one of them is just around the corner from my apartment. On the street outside, vendors were already beginning to sell breakfast (which is the same food sold for lunch and dinner… no cereal or toast in Thailand).
The park has a couple of lakes and ponds, some sculptures, a few shrines, and lots of paths and grassy areas. There were hundreds of people in the park, the majority of them exercising. The paths were covered with joggers and walkers, all heading in the same direction. Under a large gazebo-like structure, an old crackly radio was playing and several couples were waltzing. On the edge of the water, small groups of older Thais were practicing Tai Chi (or Tai Kik, as it seems to be called here). Several small exercise classes were going on here and there, with 10-30 students each, performing various stretches and calisthenics. Tucked away in a corner, there is also a small weight-lifting area, where the machines are painted grass-green and blend in perfectly with the park surroundings. I didn’t notice the camouflaged machines until I saw a woman who looked like she was floating in mid-air (she was on some kind of stationary skiing contraption). In all, there were just a few weight machines, a couple stationary bikes, and one or two other aerobic machines. There was a sleepy looking kid sitting at a booth nearby who looked like he might charge someone to use the equipment, so I decided to stick to the free activity of walking and people-watching.
By far the most fun looking activity to me in the park was an enormous aerobics class, with people lined up on the grass and paths following the lead of the instructor, who was doing some sort of kick-boxing on top of a huge wall so the crowds could all see him. The music was hip-hop with a crazy amount of bass (BOOMthudBOOMthudBOOMthud), which drowned out the mellow CD of Chinese music playing nearby as the group practiced a fan dance (complete with snapping wrist gestures with big red fans). If this group is here Monday, I may join in. I’ll also be sure to bring my camera along with me one of these mornings.
After the park and a shower, I went out early to grab breakfast. I usually eat something small in my room (yogurt, fruit, etc.), but wanted a Thai breakfast this morning. So I had rice with a fried egg and some cabbage and tofu vegetable mix. Yummy. I also picked up one of those unknown fruits I’ve been wanting to try. This one was purple and spiky. It will be my mid-morning snack—I’m very excited.
(Later)
So after a morning of paperwork, I had my mystery fruit. It is SO beautiful and purple inside! One of the Thai employees said its name in Thai translates to dragon fruit, but I’m not sure if this is the same as dragon fruit in the US. If it is US dragon fruit, I will definitely be buying it back home because it’s purple and delicious! The only downside—my fingers are stained bright purple. Good thing it’s my favorite color.
No comments:
Post a Comment