Embracing the Chaos of Bangkok

Keegan Crasto and Shannon Lobo are renowned photographers individually with a plethora of work to each of their names and a force to be reckoned with when combined, with distinct styles that come together to create Public Butter - a digital creative service they co-founded together. Surprisingly, though, they’ve never managed to make time for play on their work trips owing to their busy schedules. So when they got a chance to take a break, they grabbed it with both hands and how. It involved some impromptu plane tickets to Thailand, discovering a city without the pressure of work on their shoulders, lots of drinking, chicken feet and a healthy dose of psychedelic tuk-tuks.

While usually people tend to seek calm on their vacations, take a walk on the beach, kick back and try to escape the hustle-bustle, it was the complete opposite for these two city boys. Having lived in Mumbai for 5 years myself, I can only call the city chaotic (if I’m being kind) but the two of them, who were born and brought up in the same city, find themselves centred in that chaos. When deciding on a destination, they found themselves seeking the same lively, flurry of activity elsewhere, and they found exactly that in Thailand. A city unlike theirs in all ways but a city that exploded with the energy and character they have come to love.

Speaking of the differences they found between Bombay and Bangkok visually, Shannon explained, “Everything from the signages to the font to the colours is very different, Bombay has that signature blue tarp that comes in uninvited into every shot while Bangkok has managed to maintain a sort of organised chaos that gives the streets a lot of character.” Keegan adds, “The streets have a grittiness to them, but in a more refined sense. Even the people have an effortlessly cool style to them in Bangkok, age is no barrier to fashion there at all.” He goes on to say,“We were also lucky enough to click two sides of Bangkok, one quiet and tranquil with its shutters down and the same area again, busy and crowded. That encapsulates what the city is.” And you can spot both these worlds in their photographs, from busy marketplaces where sellers are in a rush to meet their next customer to an isolated phone booth - you would never believe they belong to the same city. The difference is as stark as between a lazy Sunday afternoon and Monday evening traffic jam and yet it makes perfect sense when you piece them together.

They speak very fondly about walking miles across the city in the sweltering heat absorbing what the city has to offer, even exclaiming that an average day saw them walk around 40,000 steps because they were so consumed by the sights and sounds. Keegan explains to me that there’s no better way to take in Bangkok, not the Skytrain, nor a tuk-tuk even with its beckoning flashing lights, than walking through its streets, stopping once in a while to click something intriguing or drink an ice shaving-filled drink that melts the instant they touch it. While they go on to discuss the joy of sauntering down 40 minutes to China Town, seduced by the charms of the city and I start to feel like I might actually have to look into my health for once, they speak about the people of Bangkok and I latch onto it like my life depends on it.

When asked what their experience with the people was like, they recount when a tuk-tuk driver played a 90s Bollywood song for them at full volume, as a sweet gesture or a sweet gesture for a hefty tip - it’s still up for debate. “Everyone was staring at us, we had a glass partition in between so we couldn’t even get the word across to him that we wanted the volume lowered. I’m very sure he didn’t even have it on the playlist, he looked this up especially for us on YouTube,” Shannon says, sounding slightly exasperated. I could only dream of travelling down the streets of Thailand with multi-coloured flashing lights and the Gupt soundtrack at full blast keeping me company, but different strokes for different folks!

When talking about the food and drinks their personalities truly shine. Keegan planned his itinerary way in advance - looking up Youtuber recommendations and Netflix documentaries for restaurants he wanted to try. “We tried the entire trip to get a booking at the legendary Jay Fai’s restaurant. Some days they were shut without warning, some days they weren’t operational and on our very last day they were fully booked till the next morning! So it’s still very much on our bucket list. But if there’s something that truly stands out to me, it would be the broths at Wattana Paniche.”

And then there’s Shannon, much more spontaneous and relaxed, who was hungry and drunk on a Bangkok whiskey called Regency at 5.30 am and tried chicken feet for the first time - “I needed to try it once, and I’ll never do it again.”

But they both do come together when it comes to experimentation with food, be it playing Russian Roulette with numbered menus at home-style eateries and discovering hidden gems in the process or trying strange flavoured chips in the 7/11s Bangkok has to offer. When they do food, they do it right.

Lastly I ask them what their future travel plans look like and Keegan, although unsure of what the future holds, would love to see more of Thailand, “We’ve barely scratched the surface of the country, there’s Chiang Mai, the islands, we still want to go back and taste Jay Fai’s cooking. We were in Bangkok and Phuket for 8 days and they flew by so fast.” Shannon also mentions how they would love to explore more South-east Asian cities for all the culture, style, visuals and endless opportunities they present.

It’s safe to say these marathon-walking, taste-testing photographers will be back to Thailand for more.

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