Lumphini Park, Bangkok, Thailand

"Terrific. That's the way to do it!" The man yelled as the young boy playing tak-kro somersaulted through the air.

"Excellent," another man shot out with delight, "but next time be sure to kick the ball and not your teammate," he heckled.

The lad came back to earth with the traces of a smile still warming his lips and lapped up all the attention he was getting. Everyone who saw his display liked it, and the fact that he missed the ball by a good half-a-meter didn't really matter. After all, this was Lumphini Park.

"Just having fun" is how people describe the game, and that's pretty much the motto of everyone that comes to relax here. Located on the corner of Silom and Rama IV Rds, right in the center of the busiest part of town, Lumphini Park fills up on weekends with smiles and laughter that stand out in defiance of the traffic-induced misery that surrounds the park. It makes a great escape from Bangkok without actually having to escape from Bangkok.

Green is what you see as you enter the park. Tall trees with long dangling branches surround the huge lake located here. Many of these trees have been transplanted from Thailand's different forests over the years, and some examples are over thirty meters high. Bright flowers in delicate tones of yellow and gold dot the few bushes that compete for space with the trees along the water's edge. In the shade under some of the trees are families and friends having picnics and reveling in conversation. Under others, nervous teenagers hold hands and look around anxiously. Escaping from the watchful eyes of their parents for a few precious moments, the delight they share in can be seen all over their faces.

There are more good times out on the water, too. Numerous paddle boats traipse the calm surface of the lake, piloted by those content with meandering aimlessly. Built for two, they are usually overloaded with whole families sharing in the fun and excitement of haphazard voyaging. There is a large fountain and a few small islands that can be explored by those having the inclination. The cool breeze that blows off the lake and the relatively-clean air makes the 20-baht-per-hour experience pleasurable enough.

Ducks are rarely seen in Bangkok, (except chopped up in a bowl of noodles,) but a few families of them live the easy life on the lake here. Making their way slowly from bank to bank, they are in constant demand by nature lovers armed with loves of bread and strong throwing arms. You'll have to wait your turn if you're intent on feeding them.

In the south side of the park is a small playground that gets crowded with laughing children. There are slides, swings, sand pits - all the usual playground amenities. The one strange thing about the area is the sight of parents pushing baby carriages with one hand while hammering out deals on a timeworn cellular phone in the other hand. Maybe it is only fitting, since the playground was donated to the park many years ago by a wealthy Sino-Thai businessman.

Past the playground is a large open area divided by long rows of flower-bearing plants. Walking through the area brings you past rows of young women listening to radios and reading cartoons. Occasionally they break into bits of gossip in heavy Iisan accents. Bangkokians usually refer to them as "sao rong ngan" or factory girls, and they can be seen at most large parks in Thailand. These natives of the north-east often spend their one day off per week catching up with old friends from back home who have come to work in Bangkok.

By the time you have made your way past the factory girls you will almost certainly have been stopped at least five times by the souvenir sellers. The young men and women in the ugly green uniforms will try to interest you in having "special effects" pictures taken. You know, the kind where a photo of your head is superimposed upon the photo of a friends stomach. Or a tiny shot of you standing in the palm of someone's hand. But if these don't whet the appetite, there are always the "classics" to fall back on; soft-focus rainbows and halos. They just add that special "something" to a portrait that makes you say to yourself; "Yup, I live in Bangkok."

If you can free yourself from the souvenir vendors, then walk north along the far side of the lake. Make your way past middle-aged ladies sitting upon old newspapers pounding som tam and after a few minutes you will come to the north-east corner of the park. Here is where the athletic (and those wanting to appear so,) come to work out. Legions of joggers, some dressed in the most garish of clothes, run the narrow roads that wind throughout the park. Young and old, male and female, they slalom back and forth as they go, dodging strolling couples and children who are chasing butterflies. A farang or two on roller-skates can also be spotted here. Keep on going past this and you'll come to where the real excitement is.

A thin yellow string tied between two decaying trees is the "net" and a large patch of earth where the grass has all died is the "court". Teams of three to a side are picked and the tak-kro games begin. Jumps, kicks and somersaults are executed with, if not elegance, at least a great deal of enthusiasm. Crowds cheer and applaud as the well-used rattan ball is knocked back and forth with a vengeance. Participants range from boys too young to be called teenagers to some veterans of the game who smoke and drink while playing. There's even a thirty-something-year-old dwarf who seems to be a regular at the courts here. No one bothers keeping score.

While the park appears full of action on weekend afternoons, it takes on a wholly different appearance in the early mornings and at dusk. At these times, the usual crowds are replaced with a few groups of Chinese, mostly elderly, going through their daily tai-chi exercises. Their slow, concentrated movements contrast with all the huffing and puffing of nearby weight-lifters and Thai kick-boxers getting a workout. The wildlife in the park also comes out during these times, and it is quite easy to see small groups of birds scouting meals and orange and gold butterflies making the rounds of the brightly-colored flowers found here.

The really amazing thing about the park is that it has been able to survive in the ever-expanding concrete jungle that is Bangkok. Here is a huge area just a stones throw from the heart of the financial district that must be lusted after by real estate agents the way a lion craves a gazelle at lunch time. Has the park survived because Thailand's politicians are farsighted and uninterested in the fast bucks that are to be made from turning the park over to developers? Probably not. The park would surely have become extinct if it weren't for the amount of affection that the locals feel for the area.

How important is Lumphini Park to the people of Bangkok? The answer can be found by remembering the uproar generated earlier this year when the park was proposed as a depot site for a mass transit system. There were protests at the park and other locations throughout the city, and both the Thai and English-language daily papers ran editorials blasting the project. The idea was quickly abandoned.

Named after the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumphini Park was a final gift to the Thai people from King Rama VI in 1925. At that time, both France and England had hosted trade and industrial fairs in an effort to shake off the economic slump caused by World War I. The King was eager for Thailand to show off her potential the way the European countries had, so he designated the over seven square kilometers of land here to be used for a National Gallery and public park.

However, as soon as work was about to begin on the gallery, the Treasury Department declared that there was not enough money to carry out the project. Upon learning of this, King Rama VI sold off some of the Royal Family's possessions to raise funds and construction began. Unfortunately, the King died before completion of the project, and work was put on hold. And while the plan for a National Gallery here never came to pass, the park was eventually opened up for the public.

Lumphini Park is open everyday from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM (although some sections close at 6:00 PM). The park lies at the north end of Silom Rd, across from Chulalongkorn Hospital and is accessed by many bus lines. Admission is free.