New motorbike and car license in Phuket

[Poppadom]

Guys,

 

Instead of flying return to Bangkok and paying consular fees to translate my IDP, I decided to do both bike and car licenses in Phuket.

 

It's a 2 day thing and pre-requisites are:

-doctor's cert: my ENT doc did it for 50 baht

-residency cert: don't know how much it was a couple of months ago at local Immigration

-photocopies of passport photo page, visa page and perhaps entry stamp page (can be done on the spot on the cheap)

 

They only accept foreigners on certain days, don't know why is that because the video had English subtitles, but not really trying to find logics in things anymore

 

Did "theory" video from 8 to around 12 yesterday. Had lots of breaks and was doing the thaidriving.info online test instead

Sat for tests at 1pm - had to do 2x50 because I was applying for 2 licenses. Did that in 20 mins. They stapled the passed half-sheets to the existing batch

 

Today:

-Drop off car paper sheet along with original passport before 11

-show up for bike test at 12:50, which was followed by a walk through and then the actual test. Thai nationals go first

 

1.) slalom then take a right turn

2.) ride along a roughly 10 inch wide stretch slowly

3.) ride into a roundabout, exit at 2nd exit and out

 

The car one was more chaotic: no walkthrough, just check out others how they do things

 

1.) When your name was hollered, go grab your car and queue up

2.) pick up e-card from booth before it's your turn

3.) parallel parking

4.) roundabout, exit then

5.) drive between poles forward and reverse

6.) then right turn, curb side parking and stop between two lines

 

Guess the lady didn't like me because she marked this last maneuver as a fail. Car front is between the two lines and not parking further than 25 cms from the curb.

No complaints as you only need to pay when they issue the license and the bike one was only 105 baht! Will only need to re-take this part the next time.

Funny how the guy inside at the counter tried to explain that the nose should be right at the middle between the two lines and that's why I failed. He also added that the curb is also included in the 25 cms... 555

Just smiled and left...