Aug. 19, 2025
Bangkok Smackdown: Lumphini Park vs Benjakitti Park [S8.E8]
![Bangkok Smackdown: Lumphini Park vs Benjakitti Park [S8.E8]](https://getpodpage.com/image_transform_gate_v3/Oy9ZunFyuCvcTnirgzne0oEUrhHXPRAUoqxKZahDT7M=/?image_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.libsyn.com%2Fp%2Fassets%2F4%2F6%2F2%2Fa%2F462a2c3092689f1216c3140a3186d450%2FBKP8_EP_LOGO_8_big.jpg&w=1200&h=630&fill=blur "Bangkok Smackdown: Lumphini Park vs Benjakitti Park [S8.E8]"){kind=logo}
Greg and Ed discuss the pros and cons of Lumphini and Benjakitti parks in central Bangkok, and best of all - you get to vote for your favorite by clicking here! The boys begin almost with a disclaimer: both parks are genuinely awesome, and there’s no way to definitely declare one park obviously superior to another. Nevertheless, each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Lumphini is the classic ‘Central Park’ of Thailand and has had more than 100 years to mature and develop a large group of dedicated visitors. It is landscaped and manicured in a more traditional way, and in some respects might mirror a kind of ‘international standard’ for parks. It is excellent for walkers and joggers, but not so much for bikers who are limited by restrictive hours. There are facilities for other types of exercise, but those facilities are probably insufficient for the massive number of the park’s visitors.
Benjakitti on the other hand is newer and larger and has much better options for a variety of sports, including pickle ball, basketball, badminton and table tennis. It’s also much friendlier to cyclists, who have dedicated lanes through much of the park. But Benjakitti is much less manicured throughout much of its spaces, representing the ‘forest’ (or sometimes ‘jungle’) in its name, as it’s intended to represent a genuine biological ecosystem. Essentially, it’s less ‘tamed.’
Both parks provide excellent opportunities for general walking and jogging and of course photography. Both parks MUST be on the list of repeat tourists and expats.
Vote for YOUR favorite park here!
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Greg 00:00:05 On this episode, we debate the merits of Lumpinee Park versus Binjai City Park and let you vote on your favorite.
Ed 00:00:12 So if you're like most city expats and prefer one park over the other, you'll dig this episode of the Bangkok Podcast.
Greg 00:00:36 What the crap? And welcome to the Bangkok Podcast. My name is Greg Jorgensen, a Canadian who just returned from Canada and is recovering from a diet made up almost exclusively of Tim Hortons and cheap cereal. Please send help.
Ed 00:00:50 You and your cereal, man.
Greg 00:00:52 Love cereal.
Ed 00:00:53 And I met Kenneth, an American who came to Thailand on a one year teaching contract almost 25 years ago. fell in love with the dulcet tones of fruit sellers. Angle grinders and traffic in my very Thai neighborhood. So I never left.
Greg 00:01:09 That's the Asian rule. You must always be within earshot of an angle, right?
Ed 00:01:14 Well, especially where, you know. You know, as we've said many times, I live in the Brooklyn of Bangkok, so there's always some grinding going on right now.
Ed 00:01:22 As I talked about on the bonus, my my building is being entirely renovated, so I, I, I wake up to an angle grinder above my head.
Greg 00:01:30 Oh, God. Or sweeping? Yeah. Someone sweeping something. Correct.
Ed 00:01:33 Always. Always.
Greg 00:01:35 Yeah.
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Greg 00:02:39 That's right. And as always, if you have a comment to show, idea or just want to say hi, head to Bangkok Podcast and click the little microphone button at the bottom right. Leave us a voicemail and we'll play that on the show. Alrighty then. Well, in this episode, we are introducing a new semi-regular interactive series where we pick two Bangkok features and compare them head to head and leave the final verdict. Up to you, our dear listener. Now, on our first outing here, we are going to be looking at two of Bangkok's biggest parks Lumpinee versus Benja Kitty. Now these two parks are close together. Lumpinee in central Bangkok along Rama four road and Benja Kitty Park, also kind of in central Bangkok, but along ratchet up SEK Road. Now each one has its fans as well as detractors, and each has its own pluses and negatives. So we thought we'd discuss it all and then at the end, provide a simple online survey for listeners to choose their personal favourite.
Greg 00:03:30 That survey link is in the show notes and can be found on Facebook. And we'll also send it out on our own account, and we will report back with the results in a later episode. So I think this is a pretty cool idea and gives our listeners a chance to weigh in on something. And we can talk, talk, talk. UPS and downs. Pluses and negatives of these two iconic Bangkok locations.
Ed 00:03:50 That's right. I mean, this is a surprisingly divisive topic. It seems that, bank hackers, especially expats. They tend to have a favorite and I do have a favorite, but I just want to begin with this, I don't. Kind of. Mini caveat. Both of these parks are great, man, so you can't, so listeners out there, the bottom line is this you should check out both Lumpinee and Benja. Kitty, you should, I mean, certainly if you're an expat, if you're a tourist, we could debate which one. We should have your priority. But we'll get into the pros and cons.
Ed 00:04:22 But the bottom line is both of these parks kick ass.
Greg 00:04:27 Yeah. Now, Lumpinee is the older one. It's been around since. Oh, God. Probably the late 1900s or early 1900s, I think.
Ed 00:04:33 I think it's like 100 years old or something like that.
Greg 00:04:35 Yeah, yeah. And the Benji Kiddie Park, which has recently expanded to include the Benjamin DeForest Park, I, I've mentioned it on the show before, and I was so pessimistic because it sits on land that used to be the Bangkok or the Thailand tobacco monopoly. So it was a it was where they made all the cigarettes and it was just this huge chunk of land in central Bangkok. And when they said they were going to be turning it into a park, I was like, yeah, right. That land that valuable? There's no way. That's right. There's no way it'll ever happen. That's right. And I was very happy to be proven wrong. And it's now a like a wonderful like what? What do they call it, like a watershed area or a like it's a huge wildlife draw.
Greg 00:05:13 It's been built for birds and local wildlife.
Ed 00:05:15 Yeah. We're going to get into that. so how do you want to handle this? I've got pros and cons of each. You want me to just jump in or what? What?
Greg 00:05:23 Yeah. Why don't you lead with that? Because I have some thoughts on parks overall. But let's go through the pros and cons of each, and I can. Okay.
Ed 00:05:31 I'll give. I'm assuming people are newbies. I know we've got some experts out there who probably know more than I do, especially about pen Kitty. but I'll do the basics. So these are both quite large parks. I mean, they're both big, and you can get lost for, you know, wandering and hours in both parks. But bench Kitty is a little bit bigger. It's about 25% bigger. And bench Kitty is much newer, as Greg pointed out. So he's been around forever. It is the classic, the original, the I don't know if it's literally the oldest park in Bangkok, but it's it probably is.
Ed 00:06:06 It's probably like the first.
Greg 00:06:07 If only there was a way for us to find out. Hang on.
Ed 00:06:09 Probably the first park ever. so it's it. Lumpinee just has iconic status. Whereas Benja kitty is the the new kid on the block. I think it might have opened around five years ago originally, but there was a lot of work being done on it. I remember when it first opened, it wasn't finished and I thought it was a little bit rough, but now it is in tip top shape. I was just there, a what, 5 or 6 days ago? I was wandering around, checking out a neighborhood as a potential new place to live. And I went over the bridge and got into bench Kitty and wandered around before we even had this idea for the show. and it's, they're still working on it. It's like they're still making tweaks and improvements. There's a bunch of gardeners doing stuff, but it is, It's done. I mean, it's great, you know, it's complete.
Ed 00:07:03 So both two huge parks, they both are, set up for walking and running. So both of them are great places to go for a walk. I mean, they're just, like, designed for a long walk. and both of them are very friendly to runners. yeah, but Benji Kitty is noticeably better for cyclists. It's got dedicated cycling lanes, and Lumpinee is famously kind of narrow. Like, I don't have the information in front of you, but I think it's like you can ride a bike from like 10 a.m. to, like, 4 p.m., like it has.
Greg 00:07:41 Ten to 3 or 10 for.
Ed 00:07:43 Yeah, it's not great for cycling, although you can do it. So Benja kitty being more modern way. More modern is is very well thought out to meet, I think diverse needs. So I think if you're a walker or a runner or a jogger, either one is fine. But one interesting thing about Lumpinee, because I've exercised in both Lumpinee has a lot of walkers, like kind of exercise walkers and also a lot of joggers.
Ed 00:08:15 And in a way it almost kind of helps, like as long as it's not too crowded, it's kind of cool when you're you feel like you're jogging with like the city, you know, and and it and it, it kind of motivates you because I've done a bunch of long walks in there, and there's a lot of people in there doing exactly what you're doing. You know, like, I've got my phone, and it's it. I have it set up to call out the, What is it? I think it calls out every 1000m or whatever it does, you know, and other people's phones are doing the same thing, you know, it's like, so the Kuna are like an iPhone. Go like that's that 2000. Keep going, keep going. You know there's just a lot. So you it's funny. It has that you know how it's always easier to work out in a gym with other people in front of other people.
Greg 00:09:00 You go.
Ed 00:09:01 To buddy. Yeah. Then I used to work out at home, so, but it cuts both ways.
Ed 00:09:05 It cuts both ways. Because Lumpinee is older and more iconic, it is more crowded. And so. Yeah. And so Benji, Kitty, it's not a certainly not a secret, but it's just it's just been around so much less long that it has a little bit of a vibe. So if you if you want to act like a real expat or a real bank hacker, when someone says, oh, Lumpinee, so cool, you should say, oh, I like Benji Kitty.
Greg 00:09:32 I liked it before it was cool. Yeah, yeah. My feelings exactly. I've always thought that Lumpinee was in general much more crowded. and it's been there for so long and it's ingrained in so many people's routines that I think it's got that momentum working for it. The two things that drag Benja kitty down are. It's slightly more inconvenient to get to. and it is not got as many shaded parts and trees. If you're going to, especially if you're going to be riding bikes and, and walking to because it's newer park.
Greg 00:10:07 So like maybe like in 20 years the trees there will be massive but lumpiness. Most of the running trails there have at least partial shade, which I don't think. I don't think Kitty has.
Ed 00:10:16 I mean, it's interesting you brought that up because, the last time I took a walk in bench, Kitty, it was so damn hot, and I wasn't even thinking of that. But I think you're right. I just yeah, because I was walking with a friend and we were chatting, and we were just both dying, and we were just having a casual walk. And I think you're probably right there. Like, we were probably in the sun most of the time. But listeners out there, there is another major difference, between the parks, besides just their age. Lumpinee is more manicured and more landscaped, and to me it's a little bit more maybe of a traditional park in that, of course you are in Thailand. And so the greenery, the the plants are different, but it's a little bit more of a traditional looking park where as a kid is specifically designed to be a forest park.
Ed 00:11:13 It's literally called the Kiddie Forest Park. And it's kind of meant to be kind of a biological ecosystem where, where, where everything, everything is kind of in its natural state. So it it looks wild. So I remember the very first time I went to binge kiddie, I did not know this and I and I was happy was I win.
Greg 00:11:33 Like this place sucks. Looks like shit.
Ed 00:11:36 But I, I remember just getting it and I was like, why is everything so overgrown? It like, because it's just it looks wild. Like. yeah, that's right. It's just way more wild than untamed. And then of course, you know, and then, like, whoever I was with who I can't remember. They were like, dude, it's a forest. It's like a jungle park. You get it? Yeah. This is like a jungle. And I was like.
Greg 00:11:57 You know what it's like.
Ed 00:11:58 I was like, really? It's like it's supposed to. I was like, it's supposed to be this way.
Greg 00:12:02 They're like, it's in the name. You know what it's like. It's like when you're driving through a neighborhood in the west and all the lawns are very well manicured and upkeep, and then you've got that one weird house on the corner that has, like, native species in their garden. And it's it's still technically very well kept, but it's got all, like, weird cactuses. Weeds.
Ed 00:12:19 Yeah. So it's not actually like Benja Kitty is not actually unkempt. It's just meant to be natural. and so that cuts both ways. So I have a good friend, actually, the my friend I mentioned, we I was walking with her. She she she likes the untamed nature of it. and so she so she kind of prefers Benji over Lumpinee. Ni. I kind of go both ways. Like. Like I said, it's me in the show. I think they're both, They're just both great. I, I might have a bias on peni just because I have been in town so long, and I used to hang out at Lumpinee, like in 2001, 2002.
Ed 00:12:59 meet me and my workmates. We used to go there and they used to have concerts in the park. And so I have a lot of early Bangkok memories of, like, lying on the grass.
Greg 00:13:09 Like nostalgia.
Ed 00:13:10 Yeah, I've got some. I've got Lumpinee nostalgia big, but, I, I it is cool that kitty is. It is more it is more natural. So it is, it's like a habitat. and, to follow up with my list of pros and cons, that does mean, and I, I confirmed this, looking at some reviews, there is more wildlife in Benja. Kitty. I still think there's probably more monitors in the peni, in my opinion, just from walking in both. But, Benji Kitty is wilder and there's way more birds. So I confirmed this.
Greg 00:13:47 Like birds.
Ed 00:13:48 More the bird people love Benji Kitty.
Greg 00:13:50 Right? But if there was more monitor lizards in Benji Kitty, you probably wouldn't even know, because there's just. There's so much overgrowth. That's right.
Greg 00:13:57 There's a lot of. Yeah, there's.
Ed 00:13:58 A lot of overgrowth. And I have a theory I don't I wasn't able to confirm this, but there's a lot of cats in Lumpinee. And burb people hate cat cats and cat people because cats. Cats decimate bird populations. Right. So I have a theory. Because bird people love binge. Kitty, I have a theory that maybe the kitty staff keeps cats out.
Greg 00:14:23 Oh.
Ed 00:14:24 Cats are anathema to birds. It's like they're they're the they're the evil enemy of birds. If you want birds, you gotta keep the cats out.
Greg 00:14:32 But so what you don't see is all the guard houses in Benji Kitty have like, little BB guns hidden behind or something like that.
Ed 00:14:37 Helping the cats.
Greg 00:14:38 Yeah.
Ed 00:14:39 The slingshots Lumpinee is overrun with cats and kittens. I mean, I'm very allergic to cats, but I still like them. They're super cute and like, they're all over. So it's basically it's a weird combination you have. You have people like me crouched down, taking a picture of a monitor lizard, and right next to me is like a gaggle of girls.
Ed 00:14:57 Like taking pictures of kittens.
Greg 00:14:59 Right. Right.
Ed 00:15:00 You know.
Greg 00:15:00 Well, the one thing I think both parks suffer from, is an under utilization of resources. But I think especially the Forest Park kitty. Now, I think that Lumpinee I don't think a lot of people know, but there's there's actually a swimming pool that last time I was actually there doing some renovations, but there's a quite a nice swimming pool. There's a gym. Yeah, there's indoor and outdoor gyms, like the outdoor gyms where they lift like buckets of cement and stuff like that. And these, these absolutely ripped, hulking dudes are working right there. there's several pavilions and things like that, but I think that I just think that the parks are underutilized in terms of public spaces and, and services to the community. But especially it's sad at Kitty because they've got a lot of old of the old tobacco warehouses and, they're, they've been repurposed into sort of like there's a pickleball court and there's a pump track for little kids. But let me.
Ed 00:16:01 Talk about that. Let me talk about that. because, I think that okay, so as you pointed out, Lumpinee does have, sports facilities and they're actually not bad. But I, you know, I, I've been walking in there recently and they tend to be pretty packed. And I think it's, you know, Lumpinee traditionally it's basically the central park of Bangkok and Bangkok has what are we up to 12 million people. And and it's just like Lumpinee is pretty big, but it's just like, you know, I was looking at the the quote unquote gym and it needs to be approximately ten times bigger. You know, you're just like. It's just. It's like, this is a city of, you know, millions of people, so you just can't service. So I think they're trying the the facilities aren't bad, like you said. It's just not enough. It's not. But Benji, Kitty, I mean, a part of it is that it's just not as popular as Lumpinee yet.
Ed 00:16:58 It's not as well known, but it's Lumpinee. I'm sorry. Ben Giachetti is better for sports like table tennis, badminton. like you said, pickleball. I think they have basketball courts, like you said. I think they've repurposed those buildings. And it's funny, I just watched a video of, there's a guy in YouTube. He just has a channel. It's just called Bangkok Expat. That's it. Very simple. Okay. And he rides around on his bike and checks out different developments. And he just did a thing, last a few weeks ago on Benja Kitty. And there's still, like, adding new sports. So Benji, Kitty, I would give the nod for sports. Other than jogging. like, I, I feel like you can. You can definitely jog and Benji. Kitty. It's great. But like I said, there's something about jogging in the PD with so many other people doing it. It's just that you get carried by the wave of the spirit of of the crowd.
Ed 00:17:57 but but if you want to, like, play pickleball or or other stuff like badminton. Benji. Kitty's definitely the the place to go.
Greg 00:18:06 Yeah. Now I want to talk about something. One huge drawback that Benji Kitty has and I don't understand it. Now, correct me if it's been updated. I was last there, God probably a few months ago, but as far as I know, Benji Kitty has no places to buy refreshments or drinks.
Ed 00:18:24 That's on my list. Dude, that is on my list.
Greg 00:18:26 The entire.
Ed 00:18:27 Part. No, you're right, it's on my list. and it's funny, this happened to me because when I went there last week, I was just walking and I just wanted to get a drink. And you just can't get one. And in. It's impossible in Lumpinee. They don't they don't tend to have drink stations, like right in the middle of the park, but kind of near the edges and on the sides. There are stalls where you can buy Gatorade and stuff like that, and it's.
Ed 00:18:51 And it's golden and it, you know. Benja Kitty, it's funny because I was reading Google reviews, you know, prepping for the show and people were complaining about that, you know, they were basically saying, this park is so big, you got to bring your own water. You know, it's like, yeah, it's like if you're going to go for a walk in the desert, you better be ready.
Greg 00:19:10 Yeah, I don't understand, like it's just a massive oversight. It's like building a car without a steering wheel. I don't know why no one's figured it out. And especially because they do have buildings like converted warehouses and stuff like that that offer cover and drainage and things like that. So, like, I think the park is really missing a massive opportunity for, at the very least, a refreshment stand and they could even. They could even dance it up and make it into, like, a full blown cafe or something like that. Like they've got the space.
Ed 00:19:39 Yeah, they got to fix it.
Ed 00:19:40 Now, listeners, the other big difference between the two parks is that Benji Kitty has some very cool elevated walkways. It's just clearly more modern and clearly more sophisticated in its design. And, so it's a little bit more, you almost get the feeling that you're at an amusement park or a zoo, like, it's it's just I don't know what upscale is the right word. It's a little bit like I said, it's a little bit. There's a little bit of irony because the park itself has the jungle vibe, but then they've got these cool, cool, like winding elevated walkways that are very sophisticated. You know what I mean?
Greg 00:20:22 Right.
Ed 00:20:22 You know, and so.
Greg 00:20:23 Clearly, architecturally designed and built.
Ed 00:20:27 It's one of these attempts to meld nature with art. And I think it's succeeds. It's. It's cool. And so it's kind of fun to be on these elevated walkways and looking down on essentially what is a jungle. before I forget, since I am a, an avid, non-professional photographer, an avid, an avid amateur photographer, there's a lot of debate online about which park is better for photographers.
Ed 00:20:57 And I find it quite difficult to pick because because Lumpinee is more landscaped and manicured, it's actually more traditionally beautiful. Like, it's, it's more I, I, I think it probably fits in a, in a more classically, aesthetically beautiful thing. But Benji Kitty is very photogenic because of its weird combination of jungle stuff that looks unplanned and organic, and then a cool arching walkway and then in the background, the skyscrapers in the background. Right. Like there. The bottom line is they're both really cool for pictures. And, you know, I mentioned before, one of my big frustrations with Lapine is there's there's a real lack of color in the peony. Like, it's just it's just green and green and then more green and then. And then.
Greg 00:21:57 Stupid.
Ed 00:21:58 Green and then yellow paddle boats. Like, I'm always like, I have a bunch of. I have a bunch of pictures and lumpinee of paddle boats just because there's some color, you know. And let me say this. Let me say this about pink Kitty.
Ed 00:22:10 It's still super green, but they have like swampy, you know, because it's an ecosystem. They've got like swampy, like not stagnant, but you know what I mean. They, they they have ponds, I guess would be the right word. And there are very colorful lotus flowers in those ponds. So if you just go to the Google reviews and click on photos, you can just see this when you click through the photos. Like people will take pictures of cool, colorful like lotus flowers in your kitty, but not in but not in Lumpinee.
Greg 00:22:42 Sure, Kitty also has like lots of brown. They've got like the cat tails and the the giant lily pads. Yeah. So I think more variety.
Ed 00:22:50 If you're into, flower photography or plants or Aladdin, what to call it biological photography then. Then, especially with plants. Benji. Kitty might be better, but I gotta say this. I'm a water monitor guy. You know, I, I, I spent I will spend hours trying to get get the best picture of water monitors and, I, I, I saw one, I saw one in Benji Kitty.
Ed 00:23:15 But, there's way more in Lumpinee. I don't know exactly why, but there's way Lumpinee is the, the capital of of water monitor.
Greg 00:23:24 Yeah, totally. Now, I was thinking about this when I was in Canada, but but check this out. I have a theory because I was wandering around the malls in Victoria, where I was in British Columbia, and I had to get a couple things here and there. And I also spent a lot of time in the parks in Victoria. And Victoria is a beautiful city, but my theory is that parks in a lot of Western countries are to our parks in Western countries are to those countries as malls are to Bangkok, because in, in, in Canada, when I was there, me and my son, you would go to the park to walk and to hang out and to meet people and to talk and to socialize because they're beautiful and they're well landscaped and it's very comfortable to walk around. But you can't do that in Bangkok if you want to do those things here, you go to the mall.
Greg 00:24:17 But I think what both what both parks have working against them is that it's just too bloody.
Ed 00:24:22 Hot.
Greg 00:24:23 To really get the value of these parks. So parks in Bangkok, I think, are almost like this separate category of leisure facility. Like they're not quite a park, like you don't really go there to hang out. And, you know, unless you're a serious exerciser, you don't really go there to exercise because you're just gonna it's so hot. You go to a gym and there's air conditioned gyms all over the place.
Ed 00:24:47 I think what you're saying is largely correct. But I mean, Lumpinee is still packed. And Benji Kinney, like, the bottom line is I think. But you are you are correct that I think the mall is serving a function that parks serve in Europe. And listeners. Yes. Yeah. Listeners, if you haven't listened to the show from last week, you definitely should, because our buddy John had a lot of insights about Europe versus Bangkok. And in particular, he mentioned parks like he said that he said the parks of Europe are incredible and beautiful.
Ed 00:25:16 But this is something that I think that, certainly a segment of the Thai population are down with parks because Lumpinee is jammed and with mostly Thai people and veggie Kitty is is not uncrowded. It's just it's just newer and less popular.
Greg 00:25:35 well then herein herein lies the controversial question are parks in Bangkok kind of a waste of space? Like, are they ever going to be utilized to their full potential? And if not, why bother making gigantic parks like Benja Kitty?
Ed 00:25:51 Dude, that is blasphemy. So the point is, we have to change. I don't have to change the culture for the better. the last I agree, the last thing Bangkok needs is another mega mall. I was just in one Bangkok for actually wasn't the first time, but the first time I wandered around it. And it's fine. It is what it is, but it's just another mega mall, you know? That's what it is.
Greg 00:26:10 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same thing. I was walking around there and I was like, yeah, it's beautiful.
Greg 00:26:14 Nothing here. I can't find it any other place.
Ed 00:26:16 But that's why Lumpinee City are so damn good. It's man. It's like like tourists, Expats. You just gotta get over there. they're both great. Let let let me. Before we wrap up, let me make sure there were a couple other points I had. Okay.
Greg 00:26:32 Oh. Did you also want to mention the fact that they're connected?
Ed 00:26:35 Oh, that's another thing. I mean, the other cool thing is there is this thing known as the Green Mile, although it's under construction right now, so you can't actually walk the whole thing now. but there is a long walkway that they're actually expanding, which will make it more bike friendly. so it's just it's just a killer. It's just a killer situation. But I want to make this point, in the end. although I'm. I'm warming, I would say I'm warming to Benja Kitty. I still prefer Lumpinee. And check this out. One thing I noticed walking around Benji, Kitty and I.
Ed 00:27:11 It's funny, I found a drone video of Benji Kitty because I didn't get a chance to go everywhere, and I thought maybe I was missing something. One thing I like about Lumpinee is the the water there is more varied. They have different lakes and ponds and things, and there's a lot of green grass that just kind of goes up to the water. There might be a slope and there should say there's a lot of people just sitting on the grass next to the water. That's just a little teeny thing, like if you want to just and there's people like sleeping, reading books, like, and it's like a green slope down to the water. You know what? Benji Kinney does not really have that. They've got one big lake and it has a like a cement walkway all the way around it. So certainly you can sit there, sit on a park bench, and there is some kind of green grass in Benjy Kitty. But because because Lumpinee is more landscaped, it's more manicured. It's actually much better suited for like the like picnic style thing.
Ed 00:28:18 Like if you just want to throw a mat bat down totally. Tahini is much more suited than Benji is for that. Like. And I did an aerial overview. I'm not saying you can't do it in Benji Kitty, but Lepine. It has more like manicured green grass, like a golf course, and it has more like waterfront property, so to speak, in Benji. Oh, totally. And Benji. Kitty. It's one giant lake, which is very cool, but it actually has a cement walkway all the way around it. so I just find Lumpinee. It's more aesthetically pleasing to me. but that is more of a traditional thing if you just want something, like, a little bit. It's funny because Benji Kitty does have well-manicured parts of it, and it's more modern. It's it's a little bit hard to explain because Benji Kitty is newer. and it's it's it's kind of more what the right word is like. It's more architecturally He advanced.
Greg 00:29:19 Right. But if I wanted a picnic with a sweetheart, I wouldn't go to Benjie Kitty.
Greg 00:29:23 I'd go to Lumpinee.
Ed 00:29:23 Yeah. That's right, that's right.
Greg 00:29:25 Yeah. One more thing that I want to bring up to, and I'm not sure if you have it on your list, but I think both parks suffer from it. Although Benji Kitty, in my experience, is a little bit worse. Both parks have guard forces and they can be kind of dickheads.
Ed 00:29:39 Well, they do enforce the rules. you're right. but I, I, you know, I, I it doesn't bother me, but you're right. They are assertive.
Greg 00:29:48 Yeah. I think they can kind of be a bit of a buzzkill, really. Like if you just trying to have some fun, like, you know, like my couple of friends, they do, parkour and stuff like that in the park. They say. Oh, the the guards at Benja Kitty are like Nazis. They're like blowing their whistles. And you can't you can't stand there. You have to stand over there, you know, like they're really, really sticklers for these stupid tiny little details.
Ed 00:30:11 Yeah. They are, you know, they are pretty strict. That is correct. but the truth is they're both kind of understaffed. Like, even though you see them, you know, the parks are so big and there's so many people. There's not a there's not a huge amount of staff, I don't think. I don't think they're going to ruin your day.
Greg 00:30:28 Well, let's see how far we can push it.
Ed 00:30:30 Oh, the other thing is, this is mostly based. I might as well throw this out there. It seems like Lumpinee is probably better for kids. I think a lot of Thai families go there, so there seems to be more playgrounds in Lumpinee.
Greg 00:30:45 Yeah. Benji doesn't have any playgrounds, do they?
Ed 00:30:48 Well, I just thought it's funny because I mentioned, that guy, Bangkok expat. He just did a ride through, and they're, they're installing like, a I think he. Oh, they were either working on or it was just finished. So there is a playground in Benja Kitty.
Ed 00:31:01 But I think Lapine Lumpinee is probably more family friendly, I think.
Greg 00:31:06 Okay, I agree with that. Yeah, yeah.
Ed 00:31:09 Anyway, they're both good, but, listeners out there, we would like you to vote. We want your opinion.
Greg 00:31:15 Yeah. And for for us, like me, I'm gonna choose. I'm gonna choose Lumpinee. It's just. It was the first park I went through here.
Ed 00:31:22 I'm a slight Lumpinee guy. I'm warming up to Benja Kitty. I, I I'm spending more time there. I do like it. It is actually an interesting contrast. It's like this is. It's so surprising. I, I feel that Bangkok kind of crushed it because they could. Lumpinee is very popular and successful. They could have just copied Lumpinee.
Greg 00:31:42 That's a good point. That's a good point.
Ed 00:31:44 But they had the guts. They had the guts to be like, no, no, no, we're gonna do something different. And it it worked.
Greg 00:31:49 That's a good point. And I think I think in another ten years, Benja is going to look a lot more, a lot more lived in, and it's going to have a lot more resources and assets than it does now.
Greg 00:31:59 But, for, for my money, like, I love that Benji Kitty exists, but I, I still prefer Lumpinee Park.
Ed 00:32:08 Yeah, but for me, it's very slight. I just like having the choices. And, it's really cool that Benji Kitty has those sports facilities listeners. It's not a joke. You can just show up there and it's pretty cheap. You know, it's like, whatever. I can't remember what I paid. I was playing pickleball. It's like 100, about an hour. I mean, and especially now when it's it's certainly not secret, but when it's not as popular as Lumpinee, it's like, you know, I showed up on a Saturday morning with a buddy, and there was an open pickleball court. Oh, cool. You know, no reservation. And, you know, paid our hunter by pickleball is.
Greg 00:32:47 But I guess I'll find out.
Ed 00:32:49 It's, It's tennis for old people.
Greg 00:32:51 Cool. All right. Sounds good, but, yeah, we're going to, we're going to put a little Google form up online.
Greg 00:32:57 The link is in the show notes here. So we want you to chime in as well. Pick which one you prefer. And, we'll read out the results on a future show. Yep. Yeah. Cool. Good times. Alrighty, then. Let's get into some love or live with where one of us picks a particular aspect of living in Bangkok, which we discuss to decide if it's something we love about living here. Loathe about living here, or have come to accept as something that we just have to learn to live with, no matter how we feel about it. And this weekend, what do you got for me?
Ed 00:33:24 Well, I think I might be able to guess your response to this one, but I gotta bring this up because I've run into this situation 3 or 4 times now, and it basically boils down to this. I go to some area. I think it's cool. I think it's interesting. and then I see a bunch of Instagrammers there.
Greg 00:33:44 Oh, yeah.
Ed 00:33:45 Okay. You know, it's it's typically young girls taking a million pictures, posing.
Ed 00:33:51 What's your take? like, in theory, it should mean that. Oh, like, you are at a cool place, so it should. You should be you. You should feel maybe better about where you're at. But what's your general take? You know, because this this happened to us when we when we were out on our walk through song. What We were at that cool, trendy thing, and then there's, like, a bill. There were a million Instagrammers around.
Greg 00:34:19 Yeah. And they're all.
Ed 00:34:20 Against the wall. They're pose against the wall. They're like, you know, in a way, they're causing almost like traffic problems.
Greg 00:34:26 Yeah, yeah. And then they look at give you a side eye when you walk through their shot or something like that, and you're like, get out of here, you idiot. You're in the busiest street in the whole area. You're mad at me for walking around anyway. It's interesting.
Ed 00:34:38 I mean, did your wife do it? Does your wife.
Ed 00:34:42 Well, when you guys are out traveling to. She hit these.
Greg 00:34:45 Spots and that it pisses me off because she's like, oh, all the influencers love this place. So we show up and there's like, a half hour lineup for, you know, a ball of fried dough or something like that. There's 50 spots around the corner that have the exact same thing. Let's go there. yeah, I don't know. I would say I would, I'ma live with on this like, I, I can't loathe it because, I mean, it's, I don't know, It's bringing attention to a place, and these places are undeniably worth photographing and talking about. Right. And we do that too, with our own show, in a way, although we're not at the location. They're just they're just exposing, you know, the, the positives of a certain place. So I don't loathe them, but I don't love them because. Yeah. Like, put down your camera and just enjoy the place.
Ed 00:35:32 You know, I'm in a I'm, I'm roughly in the same camp. The bottom line is I think I kind of loathe it, but I, I'm, I think I've talked to you about this before. I'm I'm in awe of how photogenic Thai people are, especially young Thai women. Like my. My students are ridiculously photogenic, right? Like, they. You just cannot take a bad picture of them. You know, when I take my camera out of. I have my camera at school. They're just like, bam! And they can just pose and they're just ready to have the picture taken. And they have, like, great smiles. They're the most photogenic people in the world. And so when I see these, like Instagrammers around, I'm actually a little bit jealous in a way. It's like I'm like, I wish I was just like, ready to have my picture taken and just look cool. And, you know, so if it were like, I kind of like like like you said, I kind of I wish they would just blend in more or focus on just being there, you know? So essentially what they're doing is they're going to a cool place but making it about them.
Greg 00:36:40 Yeah. Okay.
Ed 00:36:41 Which is why it's annoying. You know, it's annoying. Like like you said, just enjoy the place. Like, if you if you if this street and what is cool, just go there and enjoy. You don't have to like they're basically going there. They're not going into any shops. They're not eating anything. They're just going to take a picture of this location and leave. So it's a load. Well, it should be a load.
Greg 00:36:59 I think we also have to quantify that there are different shades of Instagrammers to like someone going down there and taking a couple of cool shots and posting them. That's fine. We all do that. But I mean, I went to a place a while ago and I was sitting there and this girl sat down with her friend and she brought a suitcase and she did 4 or 5 wardrobe changes and then was getting really pissy when people walked through her shot like, you know, those are the worst kind. That's a hard loathe for me.
Greg 00:37:25 And they're just like you said, they're making it all about themselves. But I don't think there's anything wrong with with a person taking a couple of cool pictures and then moving on. it's a hardcore Instagram nerds that are pains in the asses.
Ed 00:37:38 Yeah. Yeah, definitely. It's not a love. Let's just put it that way.
Greg 00:37:43 I agree, I agree, yeah, not love, but somewhere in the middle we.
Ed 00:37:48 Got to live with it. But in my I, I feel like it should be a loathe but I do, I do. I'm jealous of how damn photogenic they're.
Greg 00:37:58 You're just jealous of youth. Come on. That's nothing new. We're all jealous of youth as we get older.
Ed 00:38:03 True that, true that. All right. A final thanks to our patrons who support the show. Patrons got a ton of cool perks and the warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that they're helping and are never ending. Quest for cool content. Find out more by clicking support on our website and connect with us online.
Ed 00:38:18 We're Bangkok podcast on social media Bangkok podcast. Com on the web or simply Bangkok Podcast at gmail.com. We love hearing from our listeners and always reply to our messages.
Greg 00:38:31 Yes we do. You can also listen to each episode on YouTube. Send us a voicemail through our website. We'll feature that on the show. Hit me up on blue Sky at Greg. Thank you for listening. Everyone. Take it easy out there. We'll see you back here next week.
Ed 00:38:43 No doubt.
Ed 00:00:12 So if you're like most city expats and prefer one park over the other, you'll dig this episode of the Bangkok Podcast.
Greg 00:00:36 What the crap? And welcome to the Bangkok Podcast. My name is Greg Jorgensen, a Canadian who just returned from Canada and is recovering from a diet made up almost exclusively of Tim Hortons and cheap cereal. Please send help.
Ed 00:00:50 You and your cereal, man.
Greg 00:00:52 Love cereal.
Ed 00:00:53 And I met Kenneth, an American who came to Thailand on a one year teaching contract almost 25 years ago. fell in love with the dulcet tones of fruit sellers. Angle grinders and traffic in my very Thai neighborhood. So I never left.
Greg 00:01:09 That's the Asian rule. You must always be within earshot of an angle, right?
Ed 00:01:14 Well, especially where, you know. You know, as we've said many times, I live in the Brooklyn of Bangkok, so there's always some grinding going on right now.
Ed 00:01:22 As I talked about on the bonus, my my building is being entirely renovated, so I, I, I wake up to an angle grinder above my head.
Greg 00:01:30 Oh, God. Or sweeping? Yeah. Someone sweeping something. Correct.
Ed 00:01:33 Always. Always.
Greg 00:01:35 Yeah.
Ed 00:01:35 We want to give a big thanks to all of our patrons who support the show. Patrons get every episode a day early, behind the scenes photos of our interviews, a heads up to send questions to upcoming guests and access to our discord server to chat with me, Greg, and other listeners around the world. But best of all, patrons also get an unscripted, uncensored bonus episode every week, where we riff on current events and Bangkok topics on this week's bonus show. We chatted about the new Alien Earth TV series, which was filmed entirely in Thailand and where it fits in to the rest of the series in terms of quality and consistency. A big dilemma I have with my current search for a new place to live, and a nerdy discussion about Thailand's production of food staples and how much it produces locally to meet domestic need to learn how to become a patron and get all this good stuff, plus full access to over 800 bonus and regular back episodes.
Ed 00:02:35 Click the support button at the top of our website.
Greg 00:02:39 That's right. And as always, if you have a comment to show, idea or just want to say hi, head to Bangkok Podcast and click the little microphone button at the bottom right. Leave us a voicemail and we'll play that on the show. Alrighty then. Well, in this episode, we are introducing a new semi-regular interactive series where we pick two Bangkok features and compare them head to head and leave the final verdict. Up to you, our dear listener. Now, on our first outing here, we are going to be looking at two of Bangkok's biggest parks Lumpinee versus Benja Kitty. Now these two parks are close together. Lumpinee in central Bangkok along Rama four road and Benja Kitty Park, also kind of in central Bangkok, but along ratchet up SEK Road. Now each one has its fans as well as detractors, and each has its own pluses and negatives. So we thought we'd discuss it all and then at the end, provide a simple online survey for listeners to choose their personal favourite.
Greg 00:03:30 That survey link is in the show notes and can be found on Facebook. And we'll also send it out on our own account, and we will report back with the results in a later episode. So I think this is a pretty cool idea and gives our listeners a chance to weigh in on something. And we can talk, talk, talk. UPS and downs. Pluses and negatives of these two iconic Bangkok locations.
Ed 00:03:50 That's right. I mean, this is a surprisingly divisive topic. It seems that, bank hackers, especially expats. They tend to have a favorite and I do have a favorite, but I just want to begin with this, I don't. Kind of. Mini caveat. Both of these parks are great, man, so you can't, so listeners out there, the bottom line is this you should check out both Lumpinee and Benja. Kitty, you should, I mean, certainly if you're an expat, if you're a tourist, we could debate which one. We should have your priority. But we'll get into the pros and cons.
Ed 00:04:22 But the bottom line is both of these parks kick ass.
Greg 00:04:27 Yeah. Now, Lumpinee is the older one. It's been around since. Oh, God. Probably the late 1900s or early 1900s, I think.
Ed 00:04:33 I think it's like 100 years old or something like that.
Greg 00:04:35 Yeah, yeah. And the Benji Kiddie Park, which has recently expanded to include the Benjamin DeForest Park, I, I've mentioned it on the show before, and I was so pessimistic because it sits on land that used to be the Bangkok or the Thailand tobacco monopoly. So it was a it was where they made all the cigarettes and it was just this huge chunk of land in central Bangkok. And when they said they were going to be turning it into a park, I was like, yeah, right. That land that valuable? There's no way. That's right. There's no way it'll ever happen. That's right. And I was very happy to be proven wrong. And it's now a like a wonderful like what? What do they call it, like a watershed area or a like it's a huge wildlife draw.
Greg 00:05:13 It's been built for birds and local wildlife.
Ed 00:05:15 Yeah. We're going to get into that. so how do you want to handle this? I've got pros and cons of each. You want me to just jump in or what? What?
Greg 00:05:23 Yeah. Why don't you lead with that? Because I have some thoughts on parks overall. But let's go through the pros and cons of each, and I can. Okay.
Ed 00:05:31 I'll give. I'm assuming people are newbies. I know we've got some experts out there who probably know more than I do, especially about pen Kitty. but I'll do the basics. So these are both quite large parks. I mean, they're both big, and you can get lost for, you know, wandering and hours in both parks. But bench Kitty is a little bit bigger. It's about 25% bigger. And bench Kitty is much newer, as Greg pointed out. So he's been around forever. It is the classic, the original, the I don't know if it's literally the oldest park in Bangkok, but it's it probably is.
Ed 00:06:06 It's probably like the first.
Greg 00:06:07 If only there was a way for us to find out. Hang on.
Ed 00:06:09 Probably the first park ever. so it's it. Lumpinee just has iconic status. Whereas Benja kitty is the the new kid on the block. I think it might have opened around five years ago originally, but there was a lot of work being done on it. I remember when it first opened, it wasn't finished and I thought it was a little bit rough, but now it is in tip top shape. I was just there, a what, 5 or 6 days ago? I was wandering around, checking out a neighborhood as a potential new place to live. And I went over the bridge and got into bench Kitty and wandered around before we even had this idea for the show. and it's, they're still working on it. It's like they're still making tweaks and improvements. There's a bunch of gardeners doing stuff, but it is, It's done. I mean, it's great, you know, it's complete.
Ed 00:07:03 So both two huge parks, they both are, set up for walking and running. So both of them are great places to go for a walk. I mean, they're just, like, designed for a long walk. and both of them are very friendly to runners. yeah, but Benji Kitty is noticeably better for cyclists. It's got dedicated cycling lanes, and Lumpinee is famously kind of narrow. Like, I don't have the information in front of you, but I think it's like you can ride a bike from like 10 a.m. to, like, 4 p.m., like it has.
Greg 00:07:41 Ten to 3 or 10 for.
Ed 00:07:43 Yeah, it's not great for cycling, although you can do it. So Benja kitty being more modern way. More modern is is very well thought out to meet, I think diverse needs. So I think if you're a walker or a runner or a jogger, either one is fine. But one interesting thing about Lumpinee, because I've exercised in both Lumpinee has a lot of walkers, like kind of exercise walkers and also a lot of joggers.
Ed 00:08:15 And in a way it almost kind of helps, like as long as it's not too crowded, it's kind of cool when you're you feel like you're jogging with like the city, you know, and and it and it, it kind of motivates you because I've done a bunch of long walks in there, and there's a lot of people in there doing exactly what you're doing. You know, like, I've got my phone, and it's it. I have it set up to call out the, What is it? I think it calls out every 1000m or whatever it does, you know, and other people's phones are doing the same thing, you know, it's like, so the Kuna are like an iPhone. Go like that's that 2000. Keep going, keep going. You know there's just a lot. So you it's funny. It has that you know how it's always easier to work out in a gym with other people in front of other people.
Greg 00:09:00 You go.
Ed 00:09:01 To buddy. Yeah. Then I used to work out at home, so, but it cuts both ways.
Ed 00:09:05 It cuts both ways. Because Lumpinee is older and more iconic, it is more crowded. And so. Yeah. And so Benji, Kitty, it's not a certainly not a secret, but it's just it's just been around so much less long that it has a little bit of a vibe. So if you if you want to act like a real expat or a real bank hacker, when someone says, oh, Lumpinee, so cool, you should say, oh, I like Benji Kitty.
Greg 00:09:32 I liked it before it was cool. Yeah, yeah. My feelings exactly. I've always thought that Lumpinee was in general much more crowded. and it's been there for so long and it's ingrained in so many people's routines that I think it's got that momentum working for it. The two things that drag Benja kitty down are. It's slightly more inconvenient to get to. and it is not got as many shaded parts and trees. If you're going to, especially if you're going to be riding bikes and, and walking to because it's newer park.
Greg 00:10:07 So like maybe like in 20 years the trees there will be massive but lumpiness. Most of the running trails there have at least partial shade, which I don't think. I don't think Kitty has.
Ed 00:10:16 I mean, it's interesting you brought that up because, the last time I took a walk in bench, Kitty, it was so damn hot, and I wasn't even thinking of that. But I think you're right. I just yeah, because I was walking with a friend and we were chatting, and we were just both dying, and we were just having a casual walk. And I think you're probably right there. Like, we were probably in the sun most of the time. But listeners out there, there is another major difference, between the parks, besides just their age. Lumpinee is more manicured and more landscaped, and to me it's a little bit more maybe of a traditional park in that, of course you are in Thailand. And so the greenery, the the plants are different, but it's a little bit more of a traditional looking park where as a kid is specifically designed to be a forest park.
Ed 00:11:13 It's literally called the Kiddie Forest Park. And it's kind of meant to be kind of a biological ecosystem where, where, where everything, everything is kind of in its natural state. So it it looks wild. So I remember the very first time I went to binge kiddie, I did not know this and I and I was happy was I win.
Greg 00:11:33 Like this place sucks. Looks like shit.
Ed 00:11:36 But I, I remember just getting it and I was like, why is everything so overgrown? It like, because it's just it looks wild. Like. yeah, that's right. It's just way more wild than untamed. And then of course, you know, and then, like, whoever I was with who I can't remember. They were like, dude, it's a forest. It's like a jungle park. You get it? Yeah. This is like a jungle. And I was like.
Greg 00:11:57 You know what it's like.
Ed 00:11:58 I was like, really? It's like it's supposed to. I was like, it's supposed to be this way.
Greg 00:12:02 They're like, it's in the name. You know what it's like. It's like when you're driving through a neighborhood in the west and all the lawns are very well manicured and upkeep, and then you've got that one weird house on the corner that has, like, native species in their garden. And it's it's still technically very well kept, but it's got all, like, weird cactuses. Weeds.
Ed 00:12:19 Yeah. So it's not actually like Benja Kitty is not actually unkempt. It's just meant to be natural. and so that cuts both ways. So I have a good friend, actually, the my friend I mentioned, we I was walking with her. She she she likes the untamed nature of it. and so she so she kind of prefers Benji over Lumpinee. Ni. I kind of go both ways. Like. Like I said, it's me in the show. I think they're both, They're just both great. I, I might have a bias on peni just because I have been in town so long, and I used to hang out at Lumpinee, like in 2001, 2002.
Ed 00:12:59 meet me and my workmates. We used to go there and they used to have concerts in the park. And so I have a lot of early Bangkok memories of, like, lying on the grass.
Greg 00:13:09 Like nostalgia.
Ed 00:13:10 Yeah, I've got some. I've got Lumpinee nostalgia big, but, I, I it is cool that kitty is. It is more it is more natural. So it is, it's like a habitat. and, to follow up with my list of pros and cons, that does mean, and I, I confirmed this, looking at some reviews, there is more wildlife in Benja. Kitty. I still think there's probably more monitors in the peni, in my opinion, just from walking in both. But, Benji Kitty is wilder and there's way more birds. So I confirmed this.
Greg 00:13:47 Like birds.
Ed 00:13:48 More the bird people love Benji Kitty.
Greg 00:13:50 Right? But if there was more monitor lizards in Benji Kitty, you probably wouldn't even know, because there's just. There's so much overgrowth. That's right.
Greg 00:13:57 There's a lot of. Yeah, there's.
Ed 00:13:58 A lot of overgrowth. And I have a theory I don't I wasn't able to confirm this, but there's a lot of cats in Lumpinee. And burb people hate cat cats and cat people because cats. Cats decimate bird populations. Right. So I have a theory. Because bird people love binge. Kitty, I have a theory that maybe the kitty staff keeps cats out.
Greg 00:14:23 Oh.
Ed 00:14:24 Cats are anathema to birds. It's like they're they're the they're the evil enemy of birds. If you want birds, you gotta keep the cats out.
Greg 00:14:32 But so what you don't see is all the guard houses in Benji Kitty have like, little BB guns hidden behind or something like that.
Ed 00:14:37 Helping the cats.
Greg 00:14:38 Yeah.
Ed 00:14:39 The slingshots Lumpinee is overrun with cats and kittens. I mean, I'm very allergic to cats, but I still like them. They're super cute and like, they're all over. So it's basically it's a weird combination you have. You have people like me crouched down, taking a picture of a monitor lizard, and right next to me is like a gaggle of girls.
Ed 00:14:57 Like taking pictures of kittens.
Greg 00:14:59 Right. Right.
Ed 00:15:00 You know.
Greg 00:15:00 Well, the one thing I think both parks suffer from, is an under utilization of resources. But I think especially the Forest Park kitty. Now, I think that Lumpinee I don't think a lot of people know, but there's there's actually a swimming pool that last time I was actually there doing some renovations, but there's a quite a nice swimming pool. There's a gym. Yeah, there's indoor and outdoor gyms, like the outdoor gyms where they lift like buckets of cement and stuff like that. And these, these absolutely ripped, hulking dudes are working right there. there's several pavilions and things like that, but I think that I just think that the parks are underutilized in terms of public spaces and, and services to the community. But especially it's sad at Kitty because they've got a lot of old of the old tobacco warehouses and, they're, they've been repurposed into sort of like there's a pickleball court and there's a pump track for little kids. But let me.
Ed 00:16:01 Talk about that. Let me talk about that. because, I think that okay, so as you pointed out, Lumpinee does have, sports facilities and they're actually not bad. But I, you know, I, I've been walking in there recently and they tend to be pretty packed. And I think it's, you know, Lumpinee traditionally it's basically the central park of Bangkok and Bangkok has what are we up to 12 million people. And and it's just like Lumpinee is pretty big, but it's just like, you know, I was looking at the the quote unquote gym and it needs to be approximately ten times bigger. You know, you're just like. It's just. It's like, this is a city of, you know, millions of people, so you just can't service. So I think they're trying the the facilities aren't bad, like you said. It's just not enough. It's not. But Benji, Kitty, I mean, a part of it is that it's just not as popular as Lumpinee yet.
Ed 00:16:58 It's not as well known, but it's Lumpinee. I'm sorry. Ben Giachetti is better for sports like table tennis, badminton. like you said, pickleball. I think they have basketball courts, like you said. I think they've repurposed those buildings. And it's funny, I just watched a video of, there's a guy in YouTube. He just has a channel. It's just called Bangkok Expat. That's it. Very simple. Okay. And he rides around on his bike and checks out different developments. And he just did a thing, last a few weeks ago on Benja Kitty. And there's still, like, adding new sports. So Benji, Kitty, I would give the nod for sports. Other than jogging. like, I, I feel like you can. You can definitely jog and Benji. Kitty. It's great. But like I said, there's something about jogging in the PD with so many other people doing it. It's just that you get carried by the wave of the spirit of of the crowd.
Ed 00:17:57 but but if you want to, like, play pickleball or or other stuff like badminton. Benji. Kitty's definitely the the place to go.
Greg 00:18:06 Yeah. Now I want to talk about something. One huge drawback that Benji Kitty has and I don't understand it. Now, correct me if it's been updated. I was last there, God probably a few months ago, but as far as I know, Benji Kitty has no places to buy refreshments or drinks.
Ed 00:18:24 That's on my list. Dude, that is on my list.
Greg 00:18:26 The entire.
Ed 00:18:27 Part. No, you're right, it's on my list. and it's funny, this happened to me because when I went there last week, I was just walking and I just wanted to get a drink. And you just can't get one. And in. It's impossible in Lumpinee. They don't they don't tend to have drink stations, like right in the middle of the park, but kind of near the edges and on the sides. There are stalls where you can buy Gatorade and stuff like that, and it's.
Ed 00:18:51 And it's golden and it, you know. Benja Kitty, it's funny because I was reading Google reviews, you know, prepping for the show and people were complaining about that, you know, they were basically saying, this park is so big, you got to bring your own water. You know, it's like, yeah, it's like if you're going to go for a walk in the desert, you better be ready.
Greg 00:19:10 Yeah, I don't understand, like it's just a massive oversight. It's like building a car without a steering wheel. I don't know why no one's figured it out. And especially because they do have buildings like converted warehouses and stuff like that that offer cover and drainage and things like that. So, like, I think the park is really missing a massive opportunity for, at the very least, a refreshment stand and they could even. They could even dance it up and make it into, like, a full blown cafe or something like that. Like they've got the space.
Ed 00:19:39 Yeah, they got to fix it.
Ed 00:19:40 Now, listeners, the other big difference between the two parks is that Benji Kitty has some very cool elevated walkways. It's just clearly more modern and clearly more sophisticated in its design. And, so it's a little bit more, you almost get the feeling that you're at an amusement park or a zoo, like, it's it's just I don't know what upscale is the right word. It's a little bit like I said, it's a little bit. There's a little bit of irony because the park itself has the jungle vibe, but then they've got these cool, cool, like winding elevated walkways that are very sophisticated. You know what I mean?
Greg 00:20:22 Right.
Ed 00:20:22 You know, and so.
Greg 00:20:23 Clearly, architecturally designed and built.
Ed 00:20:27 It's one of these attempts to meld nature with art. And I think it's succeeds. It's. It's cool. And so it's kind of fun to be on these elevated walkways and looking down on essentially what is a jungle. before I forget, since I am a, an avid, non-professional photographer, an avid, an avid amateur photographer, there's a lot of debate online about which park is better for photographers.
Ed 00:20:57 And I find it quite difficult to pick because because Lumpinee is more landscaped and manicured, it's actually more traditionally beautiful. Like, it's, it's more I, I, I think it probably fits in a, in a more classically, aesthetically beautiful thing. But Benji Kitty is very photogenic because of its weird combination of jungle stuff that looks unplanned and organic, and then a cool arching walkway and then in the background, the skyscrapers in the background. Right. Like there. The bottom line is they're both really cool for pictures. And, you know, I mentioned before, one of my big frustrations with Lapine is there's there's a real lack of color in the peony. Like, it's just it's just green and green and then more green and then. And then.
Greg 00:21:57 Stupid.
Ed 00:21:58 Green and then yellow paddle boats. Like, I'm always like, I have a bunch of. I have a bunch of pictures and lumpinee of paddle boats just because there's some color, you know. And let me say this. Let me say this about pink Kitty.
Ed 00:22:10 It's still super green, but they have like swampy, you know, because it's an ecosystem. They've got like swampy, like not stagnant, but you know what I mean. They, they they have ponds, I guess would be the right word. And there are very colorful lotus flowers in those ponds. So if you just go to the Google reviews and click on photos, you can just see this when you click through the photos. Like people will take pictures of cool, colorful like lotus flowers in your kitty, but not in but not in Lumpinee.
Greg 00:22:42 Sure, Kitty also has like lots of brown. They've got like the cat tails and the the giant lily pads. Yeah. So I think more variety.
Ed 00:22:50 If you're into, flower photography or plants or Aladdin, what to call it biological photography then. Then, especially with plants. Benji. Kitty might be better, but I gotta say this. I'm a water monitor guy. You know, I, I, I spent I will spend hours trying to get get the best picture of water monitors and, I, I, I saw one, I saw one in Benji Kitty.
Ed 00:23:15 But, there's way more in Lumpinee. I don't know exactly why, but there's way Lumpinee is the, the capital of of water monitor.
Greg 00:23:24 Yeah, totally. Now, I was thinking about this when I was in Canada, but but check this out. I have a theory because I was wandering around the malls in Victoria, where I was in British Columbia, and I had to get a couple things here and there. And I also spent a lot of time in the parks in Victoria. And Victoria is a beautiful city, but my theory is that parks in a lot of Western countries are to our parks in Western countries are to those countries as malls are to Bangkok, because in, in, in Canada, when I was there, me and my son, you would go to the park to walk and to hang out and to meet people and to talk and to socialize because they're beautiful and they're well landscaped and it's very comfortable to walk around. But you can't do that in Bangkok if you want to do those things here, you go to the mall.
Greg 00:24:17 But I think what both what both parks have working against them is that it's just too bloody.
Ed 00:24:22 Hot.
Greg 00:24:23 To really get the value of these parks. So parks in Bangkok, I think, are almost like this separate category of leisure facility. Like they're not quite a park, like you don't really go there to hang out. And, you know, unless you're a serious exerciser, you don't really go there to exercise because you're just gonna it's so hot. You go to a gym and there's air conditioned gyms all over the place.
Ed 00:24:47 I think what you're saying is largely correct. But I mean, Lumpinee is still packed. And Benji Kinney, like, the bottom line is I think. But you are you are correct that I think the mall is serving a function that parks serve in Europe. And listeners. Yes. Yeah. Listeners, if you haven't listened to the show from last week, you definitely should, because our buddy John had a lot of insights about Europe versus Bangkok. And in particular, he mentioned parks like he said that he said the parks of Europe are incredible and beautiful.
Ed 00:25:16 But this is something that I think that, certainly a segment of the Thai population are down with parks because Lumpinee is jammed and with mostly Thai people and veggie Kitty is is not uncrowded. It's just it's just newer and less popular.
Greg 00:25:35 well then herein herein lies the controversial question are parks in Bangkok kind of a waste of space? Like, are they ever going to be utilized to their full potential? And if not, why bother making gigantic parks like Benja Kitty?
Ed 00:25:51 Dude, that is blasphemy. So the point is, we have to change. I don't have to change the culture for the better. the last I agree, the last thing Bangkok needs is another mega mall. I was just in one Bangkok for actually wasn't the first time, but the first time I wandered around it. And it's fine. It is what it is, but it's just another mega mall, you know? That's what it is.
Greg 00:26:10 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same thing. I was walking around there and I was like, yeah, it's beautiful.
Greg 00:26:14 Nothing here. I can't find it any other place.
Ed 00:26:16 But that's why Lumpinee City are so damn good. It's man. It's like like tourists, Expats. You just gotta get over there. they're both great. Let let let me. Before we wrap up, let me make sure there were a couple other points I had. Okay.
Greg 00:26:32 Oh. Did you also want to mention the fact that they're connected?
Ed 00:26:35 Oh, that's another thing. I mean, the other cool thing is there is this thing known as the Green Mile, although it's under construction right now, so you can't actually walk the whole thing now. but there is a long walkway that they're actually expanding, which will make it more bike friendly. so it's just it's just a killer. It's just a killer situation. But I want to make this point, in the end. although I'm. I'm warming, I would say I'm warming to Benja Kitty. I still prefer Lumpinee. And check this out. One thing I noticed walking around Benji, Kitty and I.
Ed 00:27:11 It's funny, I found a drone video of Benji Kitty because I didn't get a chance to go everywhere, and I thought maybe I was missing something. One thing I like about Lumpinee is the the water there is more varied. They have different lakes and ponds and things, and there's a lot of green grass that just kind of goes up to the water. There might be a slope and there should say there's a lot of people just sitting on the grass next to the water. That's just a little teeny thing, like if you want to just and there's people like sleeping, reading books, like, and it's like a green slope down to the water. You know what? Benji Kinney does not really have that. They've got one big lake and it has a like a cement walkway all the way around it. So certainly you can sit there, sit on a park bench, and there is some kind of green grass in Benjy Kitty. But because because Lumpinee is more landscaped, it's more manicured. It's actually much better suited for like the like picnic style thing.
Ed 00:28:18 Like if you just want to throw a mat bat down totally. Tahini is much more suited than Benji is for that. Like. And I did an aerial overview. I'm not saying you can't do it in Benji Kitty, but Lepine. It has more like manicured green grass, like a golf course, and it has more like waterfront property, so to speak, in Benji. Oh, totally. And Benji. Kitty. It's one giant lake, which is very cool, but it actually has a cement walkway all the way around it. so I just find Lumpinee. It's more aesthetically pleasing to me. but that is more of a traditional thing if you just want something, like, a little bit. It's funny because Benji Kitty does have well-manicured parts of it, and it's more modern. It's it's a little bit hard to explain because Benji Kitty is newer. and it's it's it's kind of more what the right word is like. It's more architecturally He advanced.
Greg 00:29:19 Right. But if I wanted a picnic with a sweetheart, I wouldn't go to Benjie Kitty.
Greg 00:29:23 I'd go to Lumpinee.
Ed 00:29:23 Yeah. That's right, that's right.
Greg 00:29:25 Yeah. One more thing that I want to bring up to, and I'm not sure if you have it on your list, but I think both parks suffer from it. Although Benji Kitty, in my experience, is a little bit worse. Both parks have guard forces and they can be kind of dickheads.
Ed 00:29:39 Well, they do enforce the rules. you're right. but I, I, you know, I, I it doesn't bother me, but you're right. They are assertive.
Greg 00:29:48 Yeah. I think they can kind of be a bit of a buzzkill, really. Like if you just trying to have some fun, like, you know, like my couple of friends, they do, parkour and stuff like that in the park. They say. Oh, the the guards at Benja Kitty are like Nazis. They're like blowing their whistles. And you can't you can't stand there. You have to stand over there, you know, like they're really, really sticklers for these stupid tiny little details.
Ed 00:30:11 Yeah. They are, you know, they are pretty strict. That is correct. but the truth is they're both kind of understaffed. Like, even though you see them, you know, the parks are so big and there's so many people. There's not a there's not a huge amount of staff, I don't think. I don't think they're going to ruin your day.
Greg 00:30:28 Well, let's see how far we can push it.
Ed 00:30:30 Oh, the other thing is, this is mostly based. I might as well throw this out there. It seems like Lumpinee is probably better for kids. I think a lot of Thai families go there, so there seems to be more playgrounds in Lumpinee.
Greg 00:30:45 Yeah. Benji doesn't have any playgrounds, do they?
Ed 00:30:48 Well, I just thought it's funny because I mentioned, that guy, Bangkok expat. He just did a ride through, and they're, they're installing like, a I think he. Oh, they were either working on or it was just finished. So there is a playground in Benja Kitty.
Ed 00:31:01 But I think Lapine Lumpinee is probably more family friendly, I think.
Greg 00:31:06 Okay, I agree with that. Yeah, yeah.
Ed 00:31:09 Anyway, they're both good, but, listeners out there, we would like you to vote. We want your opinion.
Greg 00:31:15 Yeah. And for for us, like me, I'm gonna choose. I'm gonna choose Lumpinee. It's just. It was the first park I went through here.
Ed 00:31:22 I'm a slight Lumpinee guy. I'm warming up to Benja Kitty. I, I I'm spending more time there. I do like it. It is actually an interesting contrast. It's like this is. It's so surprising. I, I feel that Bangkok kind of crushed it because they could. Lumpinee is very popular and successful. They could have just copied Lumpinee.
Greg 00:31:42 That's a good point. That's a good point.
Ed 00:31:44 But they had the guts. They had the guts to be like, no, no, no, we're gonna do something different. And it it worked.
Greg 00:31:49 That's a good point. And I think I think in another ten years, Benja is going to look a lot more, a lot more lived in, and it's going to have a lot more resources and assets than it does now.
Greg 00:31:59 But, for, for my money, like, I love that Benji Kitty exists, but I, I still prefer Lumpinee Park.
Ed 00:32:08 Yeah, but for me, it's very slight. I just like having the choices. And, it's really cool that Benji Kitty has those sports facilities listeners. It's not a joke. You can just show up there and it's pretty cheap. You know, it's like, whatever. I can't remember what I paid. I was playing pickleball. It's like 100, about an hour. I mean, and especially now when it's it's certainly not secret, but when it's not as popular as Lumpinee, it's like, you know, I showed up on a Saturday morning with a buddy, and there was an open pickleball court. Oh, cool. You know, no reservation. And, you know, paid our hunter by pickleball is.
Greg 00:32:47 But I guess I'll find out.
Ed 00:32:49 It's, It's tennis for old people.
Greg 00:32:51 Cool. All right. Sounds good, but, yeah, we're going to, we're going to put a little Google form up online.
Greg 00:32:57 The link is in the show notes here. So we want you to chime in as well. Pick which one you prefer. And, we'll read out the results on a future show. Yep. Yeah. Cool. Good times. Alrighty, then. Let's get into some love or live with where one of us picks a particular aspect of living in Bangkok, which we discuss to decide if it's something we love about living here. Loathe about living here, or have come to accept as something that we just have to learn to live with, no matter how we feel about it. And this weekend, what do you got for me?
Ed 00:33:24 Well, I think I might be able to guess your response to this one, but I gotta bring this up because I've run into this situation 3 or 4 times now, and it basically boils down to this. I go to some area. I think it's cool. I think it's interesting. and then I see a bunch of Instagrammers there.
Greg 00:33:44 Oh, yeah.
Ed 00:33:45 Okay. You know, it's it's typically young girls taking a million pictures, posing.
Ed 00:33:51 What's your take? like, in theory, it should mean that. Oh, like, you are at a cool place, so it should. You should be you. You should feel maybe better about where you're at. But what's your general take? You know, because this this happened to us when we when we were out on our walk through song. What We were at that cool, trendy thing, and then there's, like, a bill. There were a million Instagrammers around.
Greg 00:34:19 Yeah. And they're all.
Ed 00:34:20 Against the wall. They're pose against the wall. They're like, you know, in a way, they're causing almost like traffic problems.
Greg 00:34:26 Yeah, yeah. And then they look at give you a side eye when you walk through their shot or something like that, and you're like, get out of here, you idiot. You're in the busiest street in the whole area. You're mad at me for walking around anyway. It's interesting.
Ed 00:34:38 I mean, did your wife do it? Does your wife.
Ed 00:34:42 Well, when you guys are out traveling to. She hit these.
Greg 00:34:45 Spots and that it pisses me off because she's like, oh, all the influencers love this place. So we show up and there's like, a half hour lineup for, you know, a ball of fried dough or something like that. There's 50 spots around the corner that have the exact same thing. Let's go there. yeah, I don't know. I would say I would, I'ma live with on this like, I, I can't loathe it because, I mean, it's, I don't know, It's bringing attention to a place, and these places are undeniably worth photographing and talking about. Right. And we do that too, with our own show, in a way, although we're not at the location. They're just they're just exposing, you know, the, the positives of a certain place. So I don't loathe them, but I don't love them because. Yeah. Like, put down your camera and just enjoy the place.
Ed 00:35:32 You know, I'm in a I'm, I'm roughly in the same camp. The bottom line is I think I kind of loathe it, but I, I'm, I think I've talked to you about this before. I'm I'm in awe of how photogenic Thai people are, especially young Thai women. Like my. My students are ridiculously photogenic, right? Like, they. You just cannot take a bad picture of them. You know, when I take my camera out of. I have my camera at school. They're just like, bam! And they can just pose and they're just ready to have the picture taken. And they have, like, great smiles. They're the most photogenic people in the world. And so when I see these, like Instagrammers around, I'm actually a little bit jealous in a way. It's like I'm like, I wish I was just like, ready to have my picture taken and just look cool. And, you know, so if it were like, I kind of like like like you said, I kind of I wish they would just blend in more or focus on just being there, you know? So essentially what they're doing is they're going to a cool place but making it about them.
Greg 00:36:40 Yeah. Okay.
Ed 00:36:41 Which is why it's annoying. You know, it's annoying. Like like you said, just enjoy the place. Like, if you if you if this street and what is cool, just go there and enjoy. You don't have to like they're basically going there. They're not going into any shops. They're not eating anything. They're just going to take a picture of this location and leave. So it's a load. Well, it should be a load.
Greg 00:36:59 I think we also have to quantify that there are different shades of Instagrammers to like someone going down there and taking a couple of cool shots and posting them. That's fine. We all do that. But I mean, I went to a place a while ago and I was sitting there and this girl sat down with her friend and she brought a suitcase and she did 4 or 5 wardrobe changes and then was getting really pissy when people walked through her shot like, you know, those are the worst kind. That's a hard loathe for me.
Greg 00:37:25 And they're just like you said, they're making it all about themselves. But I don't think there's anything wrong with with a person taking a couple of cool pictures and then moving on. it's a hardcore Instagram nerds that are pains in the asses.
Ed 00:37:38 Yeah. Yeah, definitely. It's not a love. Let's just put it that way.
Greg 00:37:43 I agree, I agree, yeah, not love, but somewhere in the middle we.
Ed 00:37:48 Got to live with it. But in my I, I feel like it should be a loathe but I do, I do. I'm jealous of how damn photogenic they're.
Greg 00:37:58 You're just jealous of youth. Come on. That's nothing new. We're all jealous of youth as we get older.
Ed 00:38:03 True that, true that. All right. A final thanks to our patrons who support the show. Patrons got a ton of cool perks and the warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that they're helping and are never ending. Quest for cool content. Find out more by clicking support on our website and connect with us online.
Ed 00:38:18 We're Bangkok podcast on social media Bangkok podcast. Com on the web or simply Bangkok Podcast at gmail.com. We love hearing from our listeners and always reply to our messages.
Greg 00:38:31 Yes we do. You can also listen to each episode on YouTube. Send us a voicemail through our website. We'll feature that on the show. Hit me up on blue Sky at Greg. Thank you for listening. Everyone. Take it easy out there. We'll see you back here next week.
Ed 00:38:43 No doubt.
