On Aug 12, Bangkokians will officially get a new landmark, though this time -- thankfully -- it won't be a shopping complex. Impressively, even before the gates of Benjakitti Forest Park are to be officially opened next month, it has already drawn praise from many quarters -- a rare feat for what is essentially a landscaped garden in a concrete-crazed city.
"A new pride for Bangkok", one headline suggested. Another spoke of how the 453-rai park promises to give the capital's residents the public green space they so desperately need. These are understandable responses to the park's opening, considering there are only seven square metres of green space available for each Bangkokian in the city.
