Been Away

[Pudgimelon]

Well, I've been away from the forums for a while, and I'm sure I've been missed , but it's been a busy few weeks, and so I haven't had much opportunity to post huge rants on the internet (I know, I know, you guys feel deprived, but I'm sure you survived OK without my gems of wisdom).

My girlfriend and I recently acquired a new car. One of the parents at my school owns a car dealership and gave us a great deal. We got the car at cost, and she also chipped in the down payment for us. My girlfriend's parents also chipped in some money, so in the end, we'll only end up paying half-price for a brand new car. Sweet, eh?

Of course, there's the obligatory insanity that goes along with anything involving Thai women , heheh! Even though we'd paid for the car, we had to wait a week to pick it up for a day that was "good luck". Also, we had a choice of black or silver, and both my girlfriend and I liked the black one, but apparently some old woman in the neighborhood said it was "bad luck" for my girlfriend to drive a black car. So we compromised by getting a red sticker for the car.

When I went to the print shop to get it printed up, the guy behind the counter didn't even blink when I said I wanted a sticker that read, "THIS CAR IS RED. (Rot kan nee see dang)". Apparently this is a perfectly normal request, because he didn't even bat an eye . The funniest part about this is that my girlfriend was perfectly willing to appease her parents and get the sticker (and the monk's blessing), until it came time to put marks on her beautiful new baby .

I'll never forget the sight of her peeking over her uncle's shoulders as the monk sat in the car painting little dots on the ceiling. She kept whispering "Lek lek (small, small)" in her uncle's ear, hoping he'd tell the monk to make the dots really small. Her uncle ignored her, of course. Heheh. I was in stitches the whole time.

My first experience driving in Thailand involved a 6 hour trip on the god-awful excuse for road they think passes for an interstate in this country. Someone needs to explain the words: "RESTRICTED ACCESS" to the transportation planners in this country. Nothing gets your pulse racing like having to slam on the brakes to avoid some old man crossing a 4-lane highway or having to swerve out of the way (at 140km/h) of some over-loaded pick-up truck with two-stories of bamboo piled up in the back (and barely contained by a couple of thin ropes) pulling out into traffic off some dirt side road. Ugh!!

Once we got up into the mountains, I was treated to the "benefits" of the complete lack of driver's education in this country. Seems like nobody told these guys that barrelling down a mountain isn't a particular good idea. Especially when you are doing it while passing traffic, in the opposing lane, AROUND A BLIND CURVE!! After being nearly run off the side of the mountain by idiots in Ford Explorers who think they own the ENTIRE road, I was just about ready to start driving up the mountain in THEIR lane, since they seemed perfectly happy to drive down it in MY lane.

Another fun tidbit from the trip was my girlfriend constantly giving me advice on how to drive. She's got all of one year of experience, and I've got almost 20 years behind the wheel. But somehow she thinks I need her help negotiating a left turn. I kept saying to her, "Honey, yee-sip pee", which got a big laugh out of her parents in the back seat. By the end of her trip, even her Dad would chime in with "yee-sip pee (20 years)" whenever my girlfriend complained about my driving, heheh! It's understandable, given that this is her first car and she wants to take good care of it. Also, she's actually a pretty good driver, and I found that I could actually relax and close my eyes while she drove. And there were times when her advice was helpful (especially in interpreting some road signs), but for the most part, it was just an amusing display of nerves that I might put a scratch on her new baby . Hopefully she'll calm down after she puts a few scratches of her own on the car, heheh!

Anyway, if anyone here is considering getting a car, make sure you get it FULLY insured. Some of the insurance packages don't cover the full value of the car (apparently to deter fraudulent "theft" and resale in Cambodia or Burma). Don't let them short you on the insurance. Given the way people drive in this country, you WILL need it!!!

Getting a driver's license was a piece of cake. I just went down to the local office and got it taken care of in a morning. Was quite shocked that I had to provide my own picture and laminate the card myself, but that was easily handled at a nearby shop (coincidence? I think not). Since I already had an American license, I didn't have to take any tests, and after a brief eye exam, they handed me a brand-spanking new Thai driver's license. Whooot!

I keep telling my girlfriend that this means I'm now officially a Thai man, and she keeps warning me that I'd better not ACT like a Thai man, or she'll take a knife to my balls , heheh! She's a real sweety sometimes .

[meom]

Good story but what was your question?

[Pudgimelon]

Good story but what was your question?

So what.

I must have missed the rule where every post had to end in a question.

[Doi Thong]

Sounds great man, I just hope the car is not your GF name..

[Pudgimelon]

Sounds great man, I just hope the car is not your GF name..

It is in her name and why would that be a bad thing? Her parents put up a lot of cash on the car and she'll be making all the payments on it. It's "our" car because I'm her future husband, but it makes perfect since right now for the car to be in her name.

She's paying for it, why shouldn't it be in her name?

[bograt]

You are a right w-anchor Pudgimelon, but welcome back anyway.

[Doi Thong]

Sounds great man, I just hope the car is not your GF name..

It is in her name and why would that be a bad thing? Her parents put up a lot of cash on the car and she'll be making all the payments on it. It's "our" car because I'm her future husband, but it makes perfect since right now for the car to be in her name.

She's paying for it, why shouldn't it be in her name?

Ok, I'm just too pesimistic about thai-farang relationship in long run. Good luck.

[astral]

She's paying for it, why shouldn't it be in her name?

So that means he doesn't have to pay if there is an accident!!

Or when the payments slip behind.

Always a good strategy.

[ThaiPauly]

Sore point with me at the moment. Bought my wife a brand new car last Friday (in my name though), went out with her a few times (not impressed -although she has a license ) anyway she kept pestering me to let her drive it on her own because she could not stand my constant abusive tirades Eventually I caved in and offered to let her drive it home from where it was parked (a five minute walk) while I went to get a foot massage then walk back.

ANYWAY- as you have probablbly already guessed- she CRASHED IT. (Against a wall- she blamed the Songtel driver for Coming At Her and she had to swerve to miss him, (all Sontel drivers come straight at you in my experience)

On the phone she told me it was just the wing mirror so I thought Hey! thats not so bad, gets it out of the way and all that , but when I returned it was the window (shattered) the mirror (off) and a great big cruch in the window stanchion. I was not best pleased. I have to honestly say I blew my top.

We rang the insurance company and the told us to meet their representative at the dealership at 9am. Here is where I must congratulate Thai efficiency. The guy was there before us, all the paperwork was done in about 20 minutes and we were told to pick up the car -fully repaired next Monday. So a happy ending, however TIT and I will repost when I get it back WITHOUT a bill. (Not that I don't trust but....)

TP