My traffic-island haven

Who would imagine that a traffic island, surrounded by highways and slip roads, flyovers and underpasses, not to mention the constant roar of vehicles, could be a great place to unwind?

Yet that’s where I go whenever I see a chance to get away from my computer and worries about the state of the world. I hop in my car and go and meet my mate Hinsh at the traffic island to do a few laps of a walking and running track that’s bordered by trees and a small lake.

As we amble along, we chat about everything under the sun—the football World Cup, the weather, international disasters, gossip about friends and tips for stories that might sell (Hinsh is a writer too). Somehow the shady setting and splish-splash of fountains in the lake helps to soothe my mind, and when I head home after an hour or so I feel recharged, ready for another session of writing travel tales or dreaming up pitches for editors.



There’s a simple explanation for this odd state of affairs. Firstly, though I love living in Chiang Mai, the city has almost no public parks, so small spaces like our traffic island attract locals eager for a taste of nature. Secondly, Hinsh and I live in different districts of the city, and the Chiang Mai 700-Year Park is a convenient spot to meet up. 

The irony of this public space is that it’s not accessible to pedestrians, who could never cross the multiple lanes of fast-flowing traffic that hold the island in their grip. But once parked on the island, the snarl of engines seems to fade away and the combination of fluttering leaves, whispering breeze and ripples in the lake make the place a refreshing retreat.