This post was intended as a helpful FYI, not a debate on whether or not one should pay a $10 bribe. If you wish to have such a debate, please feel free to start your own thread.
If that's too much to ask, pay an extra few hundred baht to a visa agency. I'd do that anyway. They don't care how you look and then you drink beer and eat Indian food while your visa is processed :)
Should be common sense, but of course some people have no clue and show up at temples in their bikini. Always smile, wai and dress nice when dealing with "important" Thais