Pathum Thani, Thailand would be the final stop to what has been an incredible three-week trip where I’d seen more of the World than in my entire life. Staying in Bangkok, we got the opportunity to see what this amazing place had to offer.
One evening we decided to go and see Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple. We expected it to be shut by the time we got there but we actually had free access to the entire place which was one of the most awe-inspiring places I’d ever visited. Knowing how busy it must be during the day, the only thing we saw was a wondering Monk or cat, it had a strange eerie feeling that I’ll never forget. I’d seen some amazing buildings from the trips so far, from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur, but these undoubtedly topped the list. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t brought a better camera here, it was a place that everyone should experience one day.
Later that evening we headed to Khao San Road, which couldn’t have been more of the opposite to the temple which we’d visited earlier, less than a 15 minute drive away you’ll arrive to one of the craziest streets on the planet. After being asked 50 billion times if I wanted a tuk tuk, avoided flying ping-pong balls, and offered most of Thailand’s women, it was clear why people love Bangkok. Not just because of the flying ping-pong balls, but the sheer insanity and contrast of the place!
Once we arrived at the event, it was immediately clear that these guys had collected just about all of the World’s 2JZ’s! I have literally never seen such a single-engine dominated event, it was fascinating to see, especially since most places seem to be steering towards V8’s these days. Interestingly, 2JZ’s have undoubtedly dominated this year so far – the winners of King of Nations Rounds 1 and 2 both had 2JZ’s, as well as the King of Desert winner, Ahmad Daham.
Qualifications and battles would take place on the same day under the soaring heat once again -Malaysia may have been hot, but Thailand kicked it up another notch! It would be the first time that King of Nations has had an event which has started in the daytime and ended in total darkness at night. It made for a challenge, after praising the floodlights of Oman, I’d soon come to realise that this event wasn’t quite so light-friendly which made for extremely challenging shooting.
With the local drivers blowing away the judges, it would be an entirely local final, with the new competition leader Michael Prosenik taking 3rd place. As you probably guessed by now, it was also an entirely 2JZ final!