Outstanding service at Chang Wattana (for once!)

Last week had to go back to Chang Wattana for my extension stamp. Turned up at b9.10am, I went to get a queue ticket, my beloved who is young and leggy used those perfect legs to trot downstairs with ATM card, pin number (which she knows by heart anyway - I always forget it) and bank book. She used the Bangkok Bank machines to take out a couple of hundred baht, then updated the book, trotted across the hall and got the book photocopied and came back upstairs. Having used the wrong escalator silly darling she had to hoof it all across the ground floor Atrium.

Meanwhile my number was L2 38 and the illuminated board was already showing L2 36, changing to L2 37 as I walked past it. Panic and tried to call beloved whose phone was in her bag, volume down, and she couldn't hear it. They called my number, very pretty girl - you know you can love some officers police lol - asked for bank book and copy, struggled to convey wife  was downstairs, "give it to me when she comes said pretty girl."

Found a seat and sat down and some 10 minutes later having gone to the toilet en-route my wife arrived, waved at me and shot off to find a seat ignoring frantic waves to stop. Caught her up eventually, arthritic knees notwithstanding, grabbed papers, went back to pretty police girl who said "ok, take a seat, will be 5 minutes.!"

She lied.......................................!!!!

It was 3 minutes and she called my name (I'm learning how Thais screw up the pronunciation of it by now) and passport returned with smile and serious explanation that it must be renewed by date stamped in red. Not wanting prison time for assault didn't kiss her, and we were done! 30 minutes from arrival to departure.

So for once - full marks to Immigration for (a) fast service and (b) having a scrummy officer on duty!

Outside the sun was in full force, got to car which was in the nearest possible spot to the entrance and the place was like Ascot Racecourse (Brits will understand this) on Royal Meeting Day. Cars parked for almost 1/2 mile on both sides of the road and down the middle and double parked in places In the scant 30 minutes we were there most of the ex-pat community had arrived it seems. So one of the two worst days of the year mitigated to some extent, my wife saying "she was pretty" and me "really, i didn't notice!" which is a wise man's stock answer even though never believed!