Licensing a car

We thought the hard part was over when we found a car we wanted to buy and then having the money transferred from the US. Not so. The next challenge was to get a drivers license. This was not too hard as we had help from the mission home.  We just have to pay for it - twice as much as someone from Cambodia. The next step was to get a license for the car.  We had to have help from Jesse to find the place as it is a little way out of the city.  We would never have found it on our own. We took all the necessary paperwork we were told we would need.  However, when we got there we were told that we also needed a stamped certificate from the police in our neighborhood saying that we actually live there. A statement from the landlord was not enough.  So we came all the way back home and hunted for the police station.  Everyone we asked told us a different street. Finally we found it but no one was there. It was lunch time which lasts from about 11 to 2. So we went back at 2 and found the policeman sleeping as is very common after lunch here. Many businesses have hammocks just for that reason. Another policeman came to help us and he was nice about filling out the papers and adding the passport size photos that we had to have taken for the certificate.  We only speak English and he only spoke Khmer so he had to really work hard to fill out his papers. But finally we had the stamped certificate.  It was "suggested" to us that we should pay a fee to them of $50. The next morning we went back to the car licensing place and filled out more forms and had a vehicle inspection which is totally different than an inspection in the US. Then we went into a back office and for $250 we had the stickers we neede for a temporary license plate. We understand Khmer people pay half that much but have to wait longer. Now that we have an inspection sticker we can get insurance. We will have to drive for a few days without it.  Another adventure in Cambodia!  

Oh well, it's another beautiful night here and we are happy to have a car.  Pray for us!