I passed!

Upon reflection of the rising costs of bribe's paid to Thai Policeman for driving without a licence I decided it was time to make my way to the local test center to make myself a legal road user.

The day started well as I passed a pysical with ease after the local G.P. decided that a 50 Baht note was suffice to declare me fit, and so I went from there to the test center with new found health.

After a couple of eye and reflex tests, the foriegn contingent were made to watch a 1hr film on road safety, from which I learned not to drive on pathways and not to pick fights with other road users. That kind of behaviour is apparently frowned upon in Thailand!!!

Next a written test which I passed with flying colours, which confirmed that whoever had written the answers into the question booklet that I was given also passed (assuming that they remembered to write the answers onto the answers sheet as well). Easy it was, although one dim-witted German, who somehow skipped passed the eye testing, complained that he could not read the exam because he left his specs at home!

The practical driving test was on the same day, and so after a few beers at lunchtime I headed to the test "circuit": Right turn, stop at juncton, left turn and so on, EASY... PASS! The whole thing really was that easy but it was shocking to see the number of failures, with about 80% of the wanabee drivers failing to stop at a "Junction" which displayed big road signs, in English and Thai, which said S.T.O.P..

So, all was still going well and after getting a crappy bit of paper laminated in a shop across the road I set off to drive home legally, for the first time in 6 years, as the proud owner of a brand new Thai driving licence..... wonderful.

Further down the road was a traffic copper randomly stopping cars and mine was one of the cars that he stopped....... I think it may have been the smug enthusiasm with which I produced my shiny new licence that encouraged him to hit me with a "Fine" of 750 baht for some as yet unkown driving felony..........

BASTARD.