BACK TRACKING TO BANGKOK

Despite the fact that Bangkok was last week, I lost my blog to Bill Gates and MS Word. So now before we head to the Cu Chu Tunnels here in Saigon I am going to try and recap what I can:

One of the great things about travelling with your kids is you get to see places you have been through a totally different sets of eyes and it’s like seeing them for the first time.

The first time I was in Bangkok was over thirty years ago with my mother and it was in many ways a very different city than it is today and yet in some ways still very much the same. The biggest changes are obviously technology, the traffic, and the fact the floating markets have become hideous shops with no river life.

There are a few views in the world that for me, when I pull back the curtains in the morning and say good morning to whatever city it happens to be, always take my breath away. One of those was the view from the 16th floor of the Oberoi in Bombay. I would open the drapes and the see The Arabian Sea, I never tired of it. Then they destroyed the hotel last year in the Bombay Massacres.  But the other view I cherish is the first glimpse of the  Chao Praya River from the hotel in Bangkok.  It is such a vibrant, bustling river and still an exotic view in the midst of skysrapers.

This year we got to bring in the New Years with fireworks over the river and  I have to say, I am not a firework person, I can so live without them, but these were the most amazing I have ever seen in my life. Barges scattered on the river shot up bouquets of fireworks non-stop for an hour, while boats with twinkling lights sat up and down the river and watched. All traffic stopped on the bridge and cars were ten deep with people standing on them. The only misstep was that damn Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” being blared from everywhere. Does the world not know another song at the moment? But the fireworks were so beautiful I started to cry.

It’s really hot in Bangkok so days take on a specific rythem, at least our  days: mornings are for sights, after lunch for stores. The first day I wanted them to see the giant gold, reclining Buddha. It feels like he takes up a city block, which he doesn’t, but he is a great Welcome-To-Thailand sight and I thought the perfect one for the girls.

I saved the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace for New Year Eve which was really stupid as I didn’t know New Years for the Thais is not secular like it is for us, but very sacred and they flock to the Temples to bring in the new year.  This means two things, one is Thais have priority and foreigners can’t get in until the end of the day,so despite the fact we braved the crowds and suffered through the complaints of “It’s hot, I can’t walk that far, where is the car?”  we made it to the gate only to be turned away. The guy said come back tomorrow, tomorrow being New Years Day – only to be met with the same situation only worse.  Alas the girls did not see the Palace or the Emerald Buddha which while impressive is on the small side. He has a Mona Lisa quality to him: Yeah, OK, he’s emerald – that is cool, but he’s on the small side, his surroundings actually overwhelm him as they are so golden and impressive.

Lucy, though, was thrilled we couldn’t get in as she was just coming down with the first signs of  Temple fever and it was hot and the pool at the hotel was so alluring. So Glenn took her back to the hotel so he could smoke a cigar without my nagging about how he should stop. And Taylor and I went off to shop, which was more fun as when Glenn smokes I can shop more.

There is great shopping in Thailand – oh for heavens sake there is great shopping everywhere, I am amazed that I have still not bought another suitcase, a record for me, though I must give in today and finally get one. Tay and I had a mission: gold Buddha necklaces to add to all the stuff we already have hanging from our necks. After much looking we found them across the street from our hotel.

No trip to Bangkok is complete without having some clothing made by a tailor in twenty -four hours. This year we were taken to a place which claims to be the biggest custom tailor in the world. They say there are three hundred tailors working full time.  I was dubious, as I wanted to go to a place called Song, but this one had a name I could not pass up,  James Tailor. Too good. Wonder what it is about music and custom clothes?  God, I hope next trip there is  not a tailor called PokerFace. Anyway we all had stuff made, Lucy designed two dresses. Glenn, Mr. “I only have things made in England” had a blazer made and he quite likes it, I had two things copied in thai silk and Taylor got a blazer made, all of it with one fitting and then delivered to your hotel.  The place was impressive so if any of you go to Bangkok I suggest James Tailor. (Ha, I got to say it again!)

Because the traffic is so bad it takes a long time to get from place to place, so you have to really plan it out. And for me sights are sights, but I really  love the street life.

One morning we took them to Chinatown.  The Chinese eat every part of everything and it’s all hanging on the street. They get away with more abroad as they don’t have to refrigerate.  And trust me when it’s a hundred and two you do not want to be buying your pork legs from a vendor who has them hanging in the noon-day sun.  The melange of smells from the simmering ducks beaks, to the raw fish, the clams getting their UV rays, the cow tongues all sitting together was overwhelming even for me. But I have to give Lucy credit– she didn’t flinch when Glenn marched her down an back alley where dozens of glazed whole piglets were hanging on sticks. As much of an animal lover as she is I think she liked it.  Yesterday at the outdoor market here she was enthralled by the women cutting off the fish heads and watching the guts spill out. She kept dragging me over to see it, but I have seen enough fish being decapitated, so I wandered off to the eggplants.

No one massages like the Thais and we had plenty of those.  And they have these great parlours on every block where you can just wander in and for an half hour get the leg and foot massage of your life. They are so cheap and the best idea. I don’t know why they are not popping up all over the States. I would so stop during the day and get one. Taylor and I found a spot near the hotel and we just loved it.

Another thing we did was eat- tons of Pad Thai and anything with prawns or crab.  The prawns in South East Asia are the best in the world.  And because of so many market trips I don’t eat meat when I travel.  The kids love the breakfast buffets; I’m not a breakfast person so I tend to wander down late and pick off their plates.

The  thing we did avoid this trip was the sex streets. No ping pong banana shows. I pondered taking Tay as I had seen them when I was young though I don’t think as young as Tay. Glenn finds them very degrading and he is right and they are inappropriate I suppose.  But I must I must say one night many  years ago I did see sixteen girls with whistles between their legs all playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy”.  It’s a concert you don’t forget…this year they would probably be playing “Poker Face”.

OK, speaking of songs I have to segue into a sort of off-topic part of the trip and it might sound name-droppy, but I so love the story I have to tell  it. And I don’t mean to be name droppy, it’s just the people involved.

Since I was fourteen I have loved Paul Williams, first his music then we became great friends.  Now that he  is president of ASCAP he and his wife Marianna spend a lot more time in NY and I see him more. Now I also love the singer Steve Tyrell and every year go and see him perform at The Carlyle.  I also listen to his music all the time.  In fact almost every night when we get home, we light the candles in the living room, have a drink and I put on his BACK TO BACARACH album.  Actually, when you finish this blog I suggest you go on iTunes and purchase either his STANADARDS or BACK TO BACHARACH, they are the best.  Trust me….

So anyway, a few weeks ago Paul invited me to a benefit concert he was doing with a few other singers – one being Steve Tyrell. I had other plans and couldn’t go, which was really upsetting as I wanted to hear them both on stage and get to meet Steve.  But then the following week when I was going to see Steve sing,  Paul said write him a note, tell him you’re my freind and while you’re at it tell him I’m sorry Ididn’t make his show but the ASCAP meeting went way over.

So I wrote the note and had my great assistant Allison Hughes deliver it to the hotel.

That night we had the best seats in the house which I attributed to the note and Paul. Steve was great as usual but he seemed to have many people he actually knew in the audience that night and at the end of the show I felt awkward  going up to him and bugging him with my hello. Even though Paul had said,  ”He is the nicest guy in the world.”  Which is something– as Paul carries that title too.

So I went home and sort of forgot about it.

You know when you are travelling a lot and you wake up in hotel rooms and you don’t know where you are or where the bathroom is?  I was in that state in Bangkok when the phone rang at three-thirty in the morning. I stumbled to my phone, gurgled Hello and at the other end was the happiest voice saying “Hey Tracey, it’s Steve Tyrell.”  I totally thought it was a dream.  He then said, “I just got your note, did you come to the show yet?”

“Yeah,” I said.  I was trying to sound awake, but was clearly not doing a great job. But Steve Tryell was calling me– who cared if it was the middle of the night?

“I feel badly,” he said, “I just got this.”  He really is the nicest guy in the world. He didn’t have to call me.

He then caught on I was  not entirely awake and said,  “Are you asleep?”

“Well, sort of. I’m in Bangkok and it’s the middle of the night”

“Oh so sorry,” he said.” Go back to sleep, I will email you all my info.”

So I said good-bye. Thinking I wouldn’t get the info but it was fun. That is if it really happend.

Glenn said, “Who was that?”

“Steve Tyrell. Goodnight.”

The next day I woke up and on my BB was all his info.

Too cool. That kind of stuff only happens when you travel.

I will not bore you with the time my upholsterer Garry Beckenstein called me when I was in the middle of Tamil Nadu and wanted to know what I was planning on doing with my dining room chairs.

I  LOVE THE WORLD.

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