Lumphini Park

Lumphini Park, Bangkok, July 2010 Bangkok's big central park hides shirts-off, old-school iron yards under its trees, including one in its north-east corner. Here, late on a July afternoon, one lifter grinds out a bench press with a partner spotting while another presses alongside. The equipment is basic welded steel, with benches, racks and plates that have clearly seen thousands of sessions. Go in the cooler hours, early or after work, when the shade does some of the job a fan would do indoors.