I Got Pulled Over… Again

Ok to be fair, I don't have a motorbike license, and that's entirely my fault. However, it's quite common for the police in Chiang Mai to conduct these traffic stops with the primary intention of collecting fines. Interestingly enough, they seem to target only motorbike riders. Last Sunday morning, an officer stopped me and inquired about my license. I told him it was at home. His response was rather straightforward, "Alright, you'll receive a ticket. Normally, it's 1,000 baht, but I'll charge you 500 baht. Do you have cash?"

I promptly replied, "No."

He continued, "Do you have a card? There's an ATM over there."

Once again, I responded, "No."

At this point, he suggested, "Can you scan a QR code for a bank transfer?"

To which I confidently replied, "Certainly."

I proceeded to scan the provided code, paid the 500 baht fine, and was on my way — just another routine traffic stop. However, I was a bit annoyed that during my previous traffic stop, I only had to pay 200 baht…