Hi,
Today was one of those days where we just buckled down and did what we had to do. The cool thing is, we got it all done, and had time to have some fun.
I'm loving the response to this seasonal 'Zany Day' song. It's a classic and I'm glad you're remembering. More?
"__ __, a 54 convertible too, light blue. I'll wait up for you dear, __ __, so hurry down the chimney tonight... Come and trim my Christmas tree with some decorations bought at Tiffany's, I really do believe in you, let's see if you believe in me..."
Our main mission today was to renew our Thai driver licenses. Before we could do that, we had to take two of Lisa's cast acrylic prints to Tawd, the framer. We have to have the frames removed for shipping and reframing. After our drive to the countryside we went to the Thai version of the DMV. We knew where to go from the first time we got our licenses. We thought we took what we needed, but as we entered the building it occurred to me that they might want to see our 'house book'. This is a document that shows where we live. Everyone has something that verifies their residence and that is the 'real' identification. Hmm. When we got to the window, the woman showed us a printed list of what we needed. Our house book was on the list, as well as a medical certificate. That meant a trip to the doctor as well as going home for the book. We had been to the doctor before and I remembered where his office was. After a short wait we went into his office and went through the silly routine of holding out our hands, turning them over, raising our hands above our heads, and opening our mouths. We had passed the medical exam and after paying 100 Baht, we were closer to our new licenses.
On the way home from the doctor we tried to figure out if there really was some validity to what had just happened. I tried to justify some of the movements, but they had nothing to do with driving a car. We picked up the laptop on the way home and decided to go back after lunch and finish with the DMV.
There is an unspoken understanding that when you are dealing with the bureaucracy, one should always take multiple copies of everything. Since we didn't, we were directed to the 'restaurant' outside in the parking lot. The woman running the shop was on her Bluetooth while she did other work. We got to hear instructions to someone while trying to get her to make our copies. She got it done and it was remarkably cheap. Now we were ready. Back upstairs we got things stamped and stapled and then we were sent to 'number 5'. That is a room on the third floor where testing is done. We had to do the 'what color is this' and a pedal test. They have a miniature traffic signal hanging on the wall. The tester pushes a button and you tell her the color of the light. They are not arranged like real life. They come on in random positioning and the yellow light actually looked light green. We both thought the same thing. After that we sat in a chair and stepped on an accelerator pedal until a red light came on. Then you're supposed to hit the brake pedal within a certain amount of time. Back to 'window 3', paid money then got our photos taken. We are now permitted to drive a private vehicle for 5 years. The funniest part of all this is that we have Thai friends who drive around and don't have a license. The only people who get stopped and have to show one are motorbike riders. Oh well, it's nice to be legal.
This evening we went into town and hung out at NorThai for a bit. Somehow the subject of tennis came up and we were off on a long conversation about how much we like to watch it. Martin and Kay also like tennis and it was fun comparing notes and opinions about players, etc. It's nice having a place to go and just relax, talk and enjoy the surroundings. We left NorThai and walked to the Night Bazaar for some last minute things. It's been a full, productive day.
Today's photo is from the Bamboo Workshop. It is in the shape of a traditional fishing net, and the artist has caught a giant rock. The mouth of the net is about 6 feet in diameter.
Gone Fishing
Tomorrow evening we're going to the opening of an art exhibit for a ceramicist who teaches at Maefarluang University. It's his first showing in Chiang Rai and he's pretty excited about it. We're looking forward to seeing his work.
Have a Thrilling Thursday.
Peace,
Danny
"The greatness of a person is not how much wealth they acquire,
but their integrity and their ability to affect those around them positively."
~Bob Marley (edited by me)
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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