Buak Hat Park

Buak Hat Public Park (Thai: สวน สธารณะ หนอง บวก หาด) is a public park located in the southwest corner of Chiang Mai’s old city.^[1] It is open every day from 0500 - 2100. ^[2]

It is a place for local people and tourists to visit and is a location for many of Chiang Mai’s festivals such as the Flower Festival.

The full name is 'suan satarana nong buak hat' - the first part means 'garden public' and the name: หนอง บวก หาด 'nong buak hat' can translate as 'marsh improved [to] beach' - this was probably a part of the city that collected all the water, so it became a park. The final sound is a 'd', but there is a slight 'r' before it. The sign over the entrance has the English transliteration as "Hard." Variations range from 'hat,' 'haad,' or 'had.'

^[1]

Activity

There are many activities that can be done in the park such as: ^[3]

• Jogging: The park's perimeter is 440m [0.3 miles], a convenient distance for running practice.^[4]
• Weightlifting: All along the perimeter path are sturdy devices for exercise, and in the northeast corner is a modern, covered area with weights, benches and a sand floor.
• Sepak Takraw: (Thai: เซปักตะกร้อ) The area set aside for this ancient sport "Sepak Takraw" or simply "takraw" is always busy with players of every age and nationality enjoying this blend of hackysack, soccer, and volleyball.

Style

Buak Hat Public Park is designed in the style of "idealized nature".^[3]

Flowers

Buak Hat Public Park is at the center of the annual Flower Festival. There are also displays by landscape specialists, featuring waterfalls, patios and various schemes of garden decoration. There are stands representing gardens from neighbouring countries, and stands selling local products.

There are many types of flower in the park such as:^[5]

• Orange Jessamine
• Croton
• Climbing Ylang Ylang
• Ixora
• Rain Tree
• Tooth Blush Tree
• Banyan Tree
• Temple Tree

References

18°46′56″N 98°58′45″E / 18.7821°N 98.9793°E / 18.7821; 98.9793