Review: Benchakitti Forest Park

Over the past several decades, concrete and steel replaced much of what was left of the greenery around Thailand's fast-growing capital. But with the opening of the new Benchakitti Forest Park, that's finally being turned around. Taking over the grounds of a former tobacco factory in central Bangkok's Khlong Toei district, the park unfurls as a forest of tropical trees, lotus-dotted lakes, and egret-populated wetlands spanning more than 100 acres – all connected by elevated walkways and snaking trails at ground level. With more parks in the works as part of the 'Green Bangkok 2030' initiative, nature is finally reclaiming space in this notoriously un-green city.