Leslie’s Footprints in Oriental Bangkok

Faraway by the river banks of Bangkok stands the Mandarin Oriental, a luxurious hotel steeped in history well over a hundred years old, where Leslie Cheung used to stay for a few days. He flew into Bangkok quietly almost every alternate month in the five months prior to his death. To bystanders, this may seem natural that a glamourous star like Leslie Cheung should seek out such glamourous surroundings. However only a minority of persons close to Leslie Cheung knew the real reason for his frequent visits to this hotel, a place which had become a 'home away from home' for him, was because of a person, a professional 'confidant' cum steward at the hotel. Here Leslie Cheung could spend a few days of his holidays free of worries and without any stress.

It is believed that the steward always arranged for Leslie to stay in the most beautiful room, one which comes with a legendary background. This special attention shown by the steward is reminiscent of the story between the stilted butler and Lord Darlington in the film 'Remains Of The Day'. Later in a conversation with a friend who had accompanied Leslie Cheung on his holidays to Bangkok several times; he confessed he has never been back to the Bangkok Oriental ever since the death of Leslie Cheung for he fears the surroundings would evoke painful sentiments. During the course of the conversation, it was obvious that he still remembers the place fondly.

"I would like to make a visit." I said to him. "I like legendary places and stories. I would like to look up the person who took care of GorGor and have a chat with him. With any luck, I would like to take pictures of the rooms once occupied by GorGor during his visit and all his other favourite haunts in the hotel so that I can bring them back to share with the people who miss him dearly."

It was a week after Leslie's birthday that I flew into Bangkok and arrived at the hotel besides the riverbank.

Role Play Vacation

Bangkok at the end of September was a city with intermittent rain and sunshine. The air outside was moist and damp. However the fragrant smell of lemongrass wafted through the air as soon as I entered the hotel lobby generating a feeling of serenity to the spirit. The person who took care of GorGor whom I came looking for is a man by the name of Paitoon. He is the manager of the Functions Department and he was busy overseeing a royal banquet for the Queen of Thailand who was celebrating her 72nd birthday. The earliest I could meet him was to be the day after.

Regardless of the outcome of my appointment with Paitoon, I decided on a stay of 4 days just like Leslie Cheung did before me whenever he came here; to enjoy the food, go for a massage, sip on a cup of coffee at the coffee shop by the river while enjoying a breath of fresh air and to wash away my weariness in a leisurely and carefree way. Perhaps this role play vacation will enable one to have a better insight into GorGor's sentimental feelings towards this place.

Bangkok is also known as 'The City of Angels'. For some it can be a metropolis of non-stop action but on this occasion I wish to experience the leisurely facet of Bangkok. It will be an interesting experience to enjoy the comforts of this hotel over the next four days.

The rooms are located in three buildings namely the Author's Wing, the Garden Wing and the River Wing. In the past whenever GorGor invited his friends over here, he would put them up in the Garden Wing so I have chosen to stay in the Garden Wing too.

On opening the room door, my eyes were immediately captivated by three main attractions.

Firstly it was the floor to ceiling window which resembles a giant TV screen with the beautiful sights of both sides of the Chao Phya riverbanks.

Secondly, the room interior surprisingly resembles a split-level home with the bedroom on the upper level and the sitting room below. The window at the back of the sitting room is also picture perfect.

Thirdly, tucked away at the far end of the room hidden in a little corner in a rather cute and mysterious manner is the dining table.

A fine and comfortable room such as this is among one of the more commonly popular rooms in the hotel. I am curious to find out about GorGor's room and wondering what it would be like.

At nightfall, a sumptuous seafood barbecue buffet awaits at the open air restaurant by the riverside. From the hotel room I brought along a book on the 100-year-old history of the hotel. With stories from a distant past and the accompaniment of a barbecue lobster dinner before me, this certainly was an interesting combination.

With book in hand, I read about the history of a hotel which has become the silhouette of the country's developments. The reading of this book continued from the time I was at the open air restaurant right up till bedtime when my eyes became tired and I could no longer keep my eyelids open.

That night I was drifting in and out of many dreams. Not sure if this was because of the many uncanny stories floating around in my mind or perhaps because of Leslie Cheung.

... Suddenly A Song

It is night time. The rain is getting heavier with occasional lightning and the sound of thunder. I decided to make tea. There were six different selections of tea bags. I picked one after a moment of consideration.

The room seemed especially quiet. Sighted a Bose sound system beneath the television set and decided to listen to an unplugged CD. The sound of the song playing gently caused me to sink deep into my thoughts. I started to recollect a conversation I had with someone from the hotel at dinner earlier in the evening.

"The last time Leslie Cheung came here was in January of the year he died. That day from a distant I saw him sitting on the terrace watching the sea from the balcony. At that time I felt he was a very lonely silhouette. We were with our photographer on a photo shoot taking pictures of food. We were quite a distance away from him. Our camera was not directed at him but he sensitively got out of the way.”

This person asked, "Why did he want to die?"

Suddenly I was brought back to reality by a song. A very familiar song by Annie Lennox titled 'Here Comes The Rain Again'. The lyrics seemed to reflect the outpouring of the secrets from someone's heart.

Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
I want to walk in the open wind
I want to talk like lovers do
I want to dive into your ocean
Is it raining with you

Ice Lighter

On the third day I sat on the verandah of the coffee shop waiting expectantly for Paitoon. By all accounts, in the past Leslie Cheung frequently sat on this verandah. The coffee shop manager personally served Leslie Cheung on these occasions. The manager not only has a unique name of Ice but he also has many fond memories of Leslie Cheung. I had a chat with him first. Not sure if his name, Ice, has any relation with his eyes. He has a pair of mirth-inspiring eyes which seems to be able to see right through a person.

"Leslie was an extremely easy-going guest. He himself was a person who looked after others. He liked sitting at the table at the far end, smoking, looking out to the sea or looking at the people in the pool. If he came across Hong Kong guests who recognised him, he would graciously acknowledge them."

When Ice saw me lighting a cigarette, my action brought back certain memories for him. "“Leslie often never had a lighter with him when he smoked. He would just light his cigarette with the matches provided on the table. Sometimes the wind made it difficult to light a cigarette. When I saw this, I immediately went over to the kiosk to get him one of those cheap lighters with pictures of characters printed on them. The next time he came, again he did not bring a lighter with him and I had to get him another lighter but one with a different picture. Later on each time he came, I would give him a lighter. If these lighters are still around, there should be a whole set of them." At this point, there was gentle look in Ice's eyes.

I asked Ice to get one of these lighters for me and he bought one for me. Those lighters he gave Leslie had pictures of Thai boxers. Now the pictures on these lighters have changed to surf-boarding characters.

Ice in fact admires Leslie Cheung as a performer but he would never bring up this subject in his presence. There is a fine line known as respect. He knows he ought to maintain his distance between his guests and not to overstep his boundary.

"Leslie would order coffee but he would just leave it sitting there and not drink it. After a while when the coffee had turned cold, I would replace it with a fresh cup. He just wanted to relax, to let the breeze caressed his face and he was not in the least concerned if the wind had messed up his hair. I always feel he belonged to this river." These were the final words from Ice.

Then he cast a look behind my back. Paitoon had arrived.

Leslie and Paitoon

He is exactly like what friends have described him, Paitoon is a guy with chubby cheeks and there is always a smile on his face but on this occasion there was a questioning look in his eyes.

I understand the nature of his job revolves around distinguished royalties and famous celebrities. Therefore he would have to be very protective over his guests' privacy. The Oriental Bangkok places very high expectations on the staff with regards to the privacy of their guests.

I mentioned the name of his good friend. Upon hearing the name, Paitoon immediately felt much relieved. "He was a good man. You were his friend so you must be a good man too." His comments had a special meaning. Under normal circumstances he would not meet with strangers.

All year round Paitoon's work brings him face to face with many of the rich and famous people so it is necessary that he has to be cautious and exceedingly sensitive with people. To be considered as a true friend of Paitoon, one has to gain his trust over a long period of mutual interaction. The friend whom I mentioned was someone whom Paitoon trusted and he also believed his friend would not introduce someone to him irresponsibly. With this subtle relation, Paitoon finally bare his heart and talked about Leslie Cheung.

"I got to know Leslie Cheung through Ka Ling."

Paitoon has been with the Oriental for the past fifteen years as the Head of the Functions Department. Popular Hong Kong canto-actress of the sixties, Ka Ling married a wealthy Thai businessman following her retirement from the movies and subsequently followed her husband back to live permanently in Bangkok. At that time, Ka Ling and Paitoon's boss were very good friends. Whenever Leslie Cheung was in Bangkok, Ka Ling would entertain him to dinner at the Oriental. Paitoon and Leslie Cheung started to be acquainted with each other.

About ten years ago on one occasion Leslie Cheung wanted to stay at the Oriental Hotel. He requested Ka Ling's daughter to make a room reservation for him. Ka Ling's daughter asked Paitoon directly to make the necessary arrangements. Finally Paitoon not only arranged for Gorgor to live in the best room but he also took care of his daily meal requests and make special arrangements to get him to the special places that he wanted to visit. To be looked after in such an attentive and personal way especially by someone who has served various dignitaries and royalties, from thereon Leslie Cheung could never do without the services of Paitoon.

Looking after superstars is never a relaxing task. GorGor said, "Paitoon, tomorrow I would like to eat at that Italian restaurant". Paitoon would make the necessary arrangements. "However difficult it was to make a reservation, I still have my ways to reserve a place for him". Paitoon smiled humbly but with confidence.

However superstars have the right to be capricious. Early the next morning GorGor would suddenly say "How about changing to Thai food instead?" All his hard work and efforts came to nought instantly but without even the slightest murmur or discomposure, Paitoon went about making new arrangements for GorGor. Looking after superstars demands a strong sense of adaptability. Of this Paitoon knows only too well deep down in his heart.

After a few such spur of the moment changes, one fine morning GorGor said to Paitoon, "Cancel the reservation you made for me at restaurant 'A' last night. Now I would like to go to restaurant 'B'."

Paitoon narrowed his eyes and replied, "I haven't made any reservations yet because I knew you would change your mind." GorGor started laughing. Paitoon had already grasped his ways.

"When Leslie first came to the hotel, he always wore a cap and always had his sunglasses on. Gradually he became more relaxed and he took these items off." Removing these items of disguise was not the issue; the important issue here was Paitoon has influenced GorGor to be less cautious in public.

"Once Leslie asked me, 'Paitoon, why is it that you have never asked me for a favour? For example, like asking me to sign the hotel's guestbook.' I replied, 'If you wish to do so, of course I would be delighted'."

Paitoon still did not ask GorGor for any special requests even though by then they were both on very good terms with each other. Paitoon was well-versed with the fine line between 'request and offer' so he chose to uphold the 'line of respect' towards GorGor. GorGor ended up signing the hotel's guestbook of his own accord.

Leslie's signature in the hotel guestbook.

"Later whenever Leslie was planning a trip to Bangkok, he would ring me two weeks ahead to check if I was available. If I happened to be busy with some functions, he would postpone his trip and wait till I have some free time." At this time Paitoon was no longer entertaining ordinary hotel guests. His job was solely in charge of organising functions for royalties. However whenever he received a phone call from GorGor, he would take leave from his work to spend time with GorGor. He would be GorGor's personal chauffeur, driving him around town. Sometimes Paitoon and GorGor would fly to Chengmai together for a few days of fun.

"Paitoon, why have you never called me?" GorGor often asked him. Paitoon would just smile for he knew superstars are usually too busy to entertain acquaintances. However this time GorGor was very serious for he said, "Paitoon, if you are still not going to give me a call, I will not be coming back to the Oriental ever again." Leslie Cheung has already accepted Paitoon as his true friend. From then on, Paitoon did not only keep in touch with GorGor via telephone calls but he would also fly to Hong Kong to visit him. GorGor would make arrangements beforehand with Paitoon on which exit to come out of the airport upon arrival and GorGor's car would be there waiting to pick him up. In a reverse role, GorGor would accompany Paitoon; showing him around and having a good time together.

Paitoon and Ka Ling both flew to Hong Kong for GorGor's Final Encounter concert. After the concert ended, they went back to GorGor's house for a reunion.

GorGor made a special trip to Bangkok one year on 7 July to celebrate Paitoon's birthday. He booked a little bungalow next door to the hotel's SPA centre where he threw a surprise birthday party for Paitoon. By the same token, when it was GorGor's birthday, Paitoon booked the biggest table at the finest and most elegant restaurant in the hotel, Le Normandie, for his birthday party.

Baan Noi, a private function room. Here GorGor organised a surprise birthday party for Paitoon. He decorated the entire room with heaps of beautiful fresh flowers. To this day Paitoon is still keeping a copy of the menu of this birthday celebration.

Besides sharing happy moments as good friends, sometimes it is more important to share common values. Once GorGor asked Paitoon, "If a friend asked you to lend him money to invest in a high profit but high risk business such as managing a gambling establishment and he promised to repay you with high interest, would you lend it to him?"

Paitoon thought this over carefully before replying, "If it is a real friend in need, I would not hesitate to lend him the money but not because I want to profit from the high interest. However if that person borrows money to manage a gambling establishment which could indirectly lead to people into bankruptcy, I would rather not lend it to him."

Leslie Cheung nodded his head in agreement, "My thoughts are exactly the same as yours." With this conversation, the rapport between the two men became even stronger.

"Paitoon, I have often brought many friends along to the hotel. You always go the extra mile in taking care of them just like you look after me. I know you are doing this for my sake. In future if anyone used my name to ask favours of you, you are not obligated to give them your undivided attention." This was GorGor's sympathetic remark to Paitoon.

Paitoon served GorGor wholeheartedly and this was obvious in the way he always reserved the best room in the hotel for GorGor on each of his visits.

The Oriental's most historic and most sought after rooms are located in the Authors' Wing. In this building there are a couple of suites which are lavishly decorated each in its own unique style. Each of these suites is named after some of the great writers who have stayed here over the last century. The room rate is US$900 a night.

Noel Coward Suite (103). GorGor’s choice of this room was because he liked the gentle flashes of brilliant peacock blue colour scheme.

Leslie Cheung liked the sofa by the window with the curtains drawn on either side. He would sit here with a honey lemon drink and look out onto the river.

The view of the scenery outside from the sitting room.

GorGor never allowed housekeeping staff to remove the peacock blue bedding.

The door to the bathroom is beautifully carved in a floral design.

The headrest corner.

Leslie Cheung's favourite room was the Noel Coward suite, a room lavishly furnished in an aristocratic peacock blue tone. If this room was not available, he would choose the Somerset Maugham suite next door which has the same layout but is decorated in a deep peach red tone.

Somerset Maugham suite (102). This was GorGor's alternative selection if the Noel Coward suite had been taken.

Apart from these two suites, GorGor also liked Suite 1012 which has a balcony overlooking the entire river.

Barbara Cartland suite (1012) is another of Leslie Cheung's choices. This room has a bird's eye view of the Chao Phya River.

China House – Leslie Cheung would always come here to have a dim-sum lunch before he checked out of the hotel every time.

Le Normandie, a renowned French restaurant with great big windows all along the side. Here GorGor invited 20 of his friends to celebrate his birthday with him.

"Which room was he in on his last visit here?" I asked Paitoon.

"It was a most unfortunate time because the Thai royal family was entertaining many overseas visitors at that time. All of Leslie's favourite rooms had been reserved. I tried to come up with the best solution. In the end I got him Suite 1617 which is one level down from the top floor of the River Wing." Paitoon replied without hesitation recalling everything from memory.  "When Leslie arrived and realized it was not one of his usual suites, he was not at all impressed at first. I told him that the room on his left was once occupied by Princess Alexandria of England and the Prime Minister of Bahrain had stayed in the room on his right before. I explained that I have now ranked him at par level with royalty and head of state.

He was filled with instant delight upon hearing this. Leslie could be happy very easily in the past but on his last visit I noticed he seemed rather subdued in comparison", remarked Paitoon quietly.

I requested Paitoon to show me each of the suites which Leslie had stayed in the past and also all the nooks and corners of the hotel which Leslie had been to during his frequent visits so that I could capture these places on film. Paitoon went to fetch the keys to the rooms, "The room in which he stayed on his last visit is presently occupied."

As we went along, we passed by The Garden Wing which was where I was staying. Paitoon said, "Occasionally Leslie would make last minute overnight stay in Bangkok after completing work commitments elsewhere. He had also stayed in this wing before on such occasions. Which is your room?"

"352" I replied.

"I believe he had stayed in this room" said Paitoon.

"This is unbelievable coincidence!" I exclaimed.

Back to Leslie's Lane

On his last visit to the Oriental, GorGor appeared to be very quiet. The next day GorGor, his boyfriend and Paitoon were having tea on the verandah of the coffee shop. His boyfriend sat for a while before going back upstairs leaving GorGor and Paitoon behind. GorGor suddenly said to Paitoon, "I don’t feel very well lately. Do you think I have been bewitched?"

Paitoon replied "I don’t think so. Would you like me to accompany you to the temple to consult a monk?" Paitoon thought GorGor was just feeling unwell physically. He did not realize that GorGor was already suffering from severe depression.

On April 1, 2003 at around half past eight in the evening, Paitoon received a telephone call from a close associate of GorGor informing him of the tragic incident. He said to the person on the other end of the line "This joke is certainly not funny at all." Paitoon thought it was just an April Fool's joke in bad taste. Who would have guessed that this was a joke turned into reality? From hereon the wind is left to continue blowing on its own.

"He had given me many of his CDs in the past. He personally signed each CD he gave me with this message, "Thank you for always making me happy". GorGor also had on numerous occasions interpreted the lyrics of his songs for Paitoon's listening pleasure. Paitoon's favourite song of GorGor is 'Left Right Hand'.

There was a passing shower outside on the verandah. Guests have moved back into the coffee shop to avoid the rain all except one solitary person who was still sitting motionless out there on his own looking at the river, a reminiscent of GorGor's last visit. Unwittingly I went over to have a closer look only to discover he was a just a tourist who has dozed off to sleep.

Eternity Boat Trip

Tracing the footsteps of one who had passed on from this world has a very significant meaning for those of us who are still living; which is to cherish what life has to offer.

On the last day of my stay before leaving the Oriental Hotel, I decided to go on a boat ride for a tour of the river. The hotel arranged a tour guide and a boat for me and we set off on our river tour from the private dock of the hotel at the crack of dawn around 5.30 am when the sky was still dark. As soon as our boat set sail, the wind came up.

Originally I had planned to enjoy the tranquility of the river but my tour guide was fulfilling his responsibility with his unceasing flow of information on the scenery on both sides of the riverbank.

"This tall building now has a price value of xxxx. That hospital is a sanatorium for the rich and famous. Their room rates are more expensive than that of the Oriental Hotel. On the opposite side is a brand new building with complete river view. This property is valued at xxxx." Besides being very well-informed on the history of the place, my tour guide also seemed to be more abreast with the local property values. I interrupted him by asking "You must like investing in properties. Have you made a lot of profits from it?" He handed me his name card. On it was a list of his designated titles such as ex-president of the tour guide association, tourism association consultant and tourism training secretary. "I have been in this business for over twenty years. On this river I have been a tour guide to Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams, Tim Burton…"

This was the best day out of the four days of my visit with bright blue skies. The river comes to life with various activities like the alms-seeking Buddhist monks, people washing themselves and the shuttling of boats upstream and downstream etc. The deceased had passed on while the living continues to strive for a better life.

The boat sailed out of Bangkok before coming to shore at a neighbouring province where fresh soybean milk and crispy fried pastries were being sold as breakfast by local hawkers. I took a stroll around the flower market. On the return trip I bought a big bag of bread to feed the thousands of fishes struggling for a feed in the river. This three hour boat trip was an enriching experience allowing me to be captivated by the vitality of the river.

The Last Room

As I was packing my things in preparation to leave, I was informed that the guest had checked out of the suite occupied by GorGor on his very last visit. I immediately went around to this room.

The River Wing is the tallest of the three buildings. Suite 1617 is also the room on the highest level of this wing. The room décor is by far more down to earth when compared to the Author's Wing but because of its high position, it has a commanding and impressive view.

Room interior – 1

Room Interior – 2

I sat on the single sofa looking out onto the scenery outside. I believe GorGor would have sat on this same chair in a similar fashion on that day. I sat and reflected upon my journey of tracing GorGor's footsteps in the Oriental in a final farewell.

Some splendid holiday though it may only be a short one but after having been through it, the memories of which are enough to last forever.

Beautifully confused

Before I commenced my journey to the Oriental, my intentions were simple and clear. I came looking for Paitoon; to retrace GorGor's trail and to have a deeper understanding behind the reason for his love for this hotel.

Before I left, the hotel staff was rather astonished that I had not stepped out of the hotel during my brief stay with them. Even when I went on the boat tour of the river at daybreak, I felt as if I was still in the hotel as I had embarked and disembarked from the private dock of the hotel. The river bank became a mere extension of the hotel's boundary.

I went for a quick stroll along the side streets around the hotel. I walked past the East Asia Trading Company building which is now vacant but the colonial style architecture still stands majestically. In front of this building is an old wharf similar to Yaumati with people streaming by. Along the wharf there are the common folks and local hawkers serving up their lunchtime fare. These are somewhat familiar scenes of glamour intermingling in harmony with the common.

The splendour of the colonial era so fondly cherished was once a part of Hong Kong too but has now vanished. It still remains here in Bangkok.

As the last aristocrat of Hong Kong, GorGor certainly belongs here.

As for me, an ordinary tourist, the feeling is a sense of beautiful confusion.

written by Mr. Chiu Leung Chun for MingPaoWeekly, issue 1874, October 2004 - pictures by MingPaoWeekly

kindly translated by Sim - many many thanks!

Leslie's Pillow doesn't intend to infringe MingPaoWeekly copyrights by publishing this article. The only purpose is providing an English translation for overseas fans who don't speak or read Chinese.

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