Renewed My Driver'S License In Loei

[chuckd]

I recently renewed my one year license in Loei and had one of my more favorable times dealing with Thai authorities.

My wife usually goes with me when I have to take care of official business. She assumes I am an idiot and could never handle the complexities of Thai bureaucracy without her help. I keep reminding her I have managed on my own with little problem before we married...but I'm still dumb.

This time she was unable to accompany me so I set out on my own with my trusty red tape scissors, ready for battle.

I had already made copies of my passport, obtained both an immigration address letter (400 baht in Udorn) and my medical certificate which set me back an additional 30 baht. Some things are cheaper in Isaan.

I presented myself to the gentleman in official department uniform at the counter with my expired one year license and my papers. He asked if I could speak Thai and I said "no", so he immediately sided with my wife about my mental capacity. However he was very friendly and after examining my documents he asked for the sum of 605 baht. I paid him and he told me to go to room number 2 and watch the movie.

I sat through the last ten minutes of the movie, when he came in the room and began talking to a room filled with about 30 Thais and 1 farang. When he was through speaking everybody stood up and he looked at me and motioned me to follow him, where we all adjourned to the room with the mock traffic light for color identification and the mock accelerator/brake for reaction time. He took me first and I passed the color test with flying colors and he told me to stand over to the side of the room and get out of the way.

I stood where he told me to and enjoyed watching all the Thais take the reaction test, without a single failure. One old man took three tries but he finally had it figured out. It was then my turn so I sat down and passed it on the first try in record time. He doesn't know how many times I have had to try and panic stop my car when a motorcycle, dog, tractor, sugar cane truck, etc, etc, had pulled out in front of me the past few years. My braking talent has been honed to a fine degree over the years.

We then went back into the reception area, where he motioned me over, told me to go see the photographer and complete my license procedures. He moved me to the head of the line for the photo taking.

I then walked out with a new five year license,, after thanking him personally, and left the building. I arrived at 0855 and walked out at 1010...hardly a difficult process at all, for a total idiot.

[nev]

Yesterday got my motor bike licence again, did get one a few months ago but then got a call saying i had to hand it back as my overseas lic does not indicate motor bike, i think my tilac had handed over tea money, and a new boss there has been checking, so did the test 23 out of 30 passed, did the driving course passed, paid 150 baht got licence.

Was also told that they will not be issuing licence on a Tourist visa and this my last one, and when i extend to 5 years have to show a differet visa.