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Living in Victory Monument and Ari

The Victory Monument to Chatuchak area encapsulates perhaps everything that makes the city of Bangkok as a whole such a pleasure to live in. Alight at Victory Monument BTS station and you will find yourself in the thick of the endless hustle and bustle of the area’s foot-traffic that circles one of the city’s main transportation hubs, home to hundreds of minivans and buses, taking travellers throughout the city and well beyond its limits. Hop back on the BTS and travel two stations further up and you will find yourself in the far more sedate and relaxed surroundings of Ari, an area that is fast becoming one of the go-to areas for the city’s hip and trendy burgeoning middle class. And, finally, climb aboard the skytrain once more to travel a little further up to the end of the line to find yourself amongst a sea of weird and wonderful market stalls selling everything from art to exotic fish at Chatuchak Market. 
 
For any visitor to the city and more often than not those shoppers that have lived in Bangkok for some time, Chatuchak Market remains an awe-inspiring place. Its 35 acres features over 5,000 individual stalls and welcomes somewhere in the region of 200,000 visitors each day at the weekend to peruse the dizzying variety of clothes, handicrafts, furniture, collectibles, foods, and live animals as well as just relaxing at the many eateries and bars found inside the market and along its periphery. In addition to Chatuchak Market, shoppers can take advantage of JJ Mall, the weekend market’s smaller air-conditioned sister, featuring four storeys of goods including electronics, beauty salons, antiques, and clothes. Victory Monument is also home to Century Plaza, an eight storey mall adjacent to the BTS station dedicated to shopping, dining, entertainment and educational establishments. Furthermore, Victory Monument can boast the Fashion Mall Shopping Centre for those looking for the latest trends, King Power Duty Free with two floors full of high quality duty free items, and Victory Point, an outdoor bazaar that sits below Victory Monument’s skywalk
 
Victory point also plays host to another of the Victory Monument to Chatuchak area’s most compelling qualities, somewhere to kick back and have a drink. Next to the outdoor bazaar are a number of ramshackle but inviting, friendly and inexpensive bars that look out on the unending crowds of shoppers and traffic that mill through the area past the stunning obelisk that sits in the centre of the huge roundabout and gives the area its name. Next to Victory Point is Saxaphone Jazz and Blues Pub, one of if not the city’s premier spots for live music. Also, take a short stroll down Soi Rang Nam near Victory Monument BTS station for a number of nice little bars popular with tourists, expats, and local students. However, it is probably Ari that provides the best spots for unwinding with a beer or a glass of wine. On Soi Ari (Phahonyothin Soi 7 or Soi Aree) and some of the smaller streets that spring from it, revelers can find some of the best and chicest bars in Thailand’s capital, including Aree Garden by Hobs House of Beers, Dbaa, Sofa, Flow, and Sawaree Society. 
 
Ari also offers some excellent dining options for those looking to eat both Thai and international food. For Thai food some of the many recommended eateries to try include Aree Alley, a small tasteful restaurant incredibly popular with young Thai locals; Reflections Bar and Restaurant, situated on Ari soi 3 in a stunningly renovated former townhouse; Baan Mae Yui, another favourite for people in the neighbourhood offering excellent and inexpensive Thai fare; and Baan Puengchom situated in a large garden replete with rabbits on soi 7. For diners looking for a change from local dishes can check out Basilico Italian Restaurant and Dalad for some Vietnamese on soi 7, Kinniku Gyudon Japanese restaurant on Phahonyothin Road near the BTS station, or take a walk around Villa Market Ari for a whole host of dining options. For some first class seafood and live music a stone’s throw from Victory Monument station, spend an evening at Victory Plaza Bar and Seafood. 
 
Another reason people love the area so much is the fact that in contrast with the great majority of other areas in Bangkok, living nearer the end of the BTS line in Morchit, gives you access to some of the most accessible peaceful spots in the city. Near Chatuchak bus station for instance, people can wander around Queen Sirikhit Park. The park has a number of water features including The Winding Pool which runs through the park punctuated by stunning fountains. Walkers can take a load off on the benches that pepper the park’s interior or enjoy the Botanical Gardens, the Banana Garden, and the Lotus Garden. Also, next to Chatuchak Market itself, is Chatuchak Park, a thin peaceful park with an artificial lake where locals, tourists and expats alike can relax on mats (brought along or procured in or near the market) by the water and feed the pigeons. 
 
Because the Victory Monument to Chatuchak area is one that has such a high density of residential buildings, the neighbourhoods therein feature a considerable amount of excellent hospitals. International standard and accredited hospitals in the area include Paolo Memorial Hospital, a short walk from Saphan Kwai BTS station; Phyathai 2 Hospital, adjacent to Sanam Pao BTS station; and Rajavithi Hospital, near Victory Monument BTS. 
 
Areas such as this obviously have a wealth of options in terms of condos and apartments. Nevertheless, Bangkok Property Services can heartily recommend a number of excellent properties for people with a variety of needs, desires, and budgets. Literally a ten second walk from Saphan Kwai BTS Station is the Ideo Mix Phalyothin. Also located in Saphan Kwai is the modern low-rise condo The Haven. In Ari, prospective tenants can take advantage of the spacious units at the Noble Lite, the luxurious Centric Scene a short walk from all the great restaurants Ari has to offer, and finally the good sized and well furnished condos at The Silk situated only 200m from BTS Sanam Pao
 
Wherever you choose to call home, living in the Victory Monument to Chatuchak area gives you a taste of everything that is best about living in the exciting, fascinating, and dynamic city that is the Thai capital, Bangkok.