Update Juy 2010

Connie's Thai House is going to become part of an exclusive hotel on the Chao Phraya River, with a planned opening date of June 2011. (www.thesiamhotel.com) Take a look. It sounds very exciting.

So many interesting things are happening around Connie's website. Through the site, I was contacted by two women who knew my cousins (different ones) and was able to re-connect each of them. I was contacted by cousins who had lost touch with the family and people who were just interested to know more about Connie and her time. I am putting together a list of books about that era that I will post on the website.

During her lifetime, Connie was always working behind the scenes, putting people together. Her years as a spy put her in the graces of many people, Thai, American and Norwiegan. She was the person to contact if you needed help and she helped all who asked. It isn't strange at all that she is still the center of it! I am happy to do what I can to carry on her legacy.

In the early 80's I lived in Bangkok and spent almost every weekend at the Beach with Connie. She told me many stories about her life, I was young. I was learning how to windsurf with some friends one weekend. I climbed up the hill and came into the house to get ready for dinner. "It's wonderful to be young, dear, enjoy it while you can." Connie said with a smile. We sat on the balcony with some guests for drinks and to watch a beautiful sunset, then we went downstairs for dinner. Later that evening, when we were alone, she told me her story of the young man she loved, who was killed during World War II. It was one of many stories she shared with me about her life.

MaryAnne

More About Connie from MaryAnne

Thanks for your post Richard. Connie was indeed a

very interesting woman. She and Jim Thompson met
at the end of WWII. She worked for the O.S.S. and he,
an O.S.S. officer was sent to liberate Siam (Thailand).
Kindred spirits, they became fast friends until Jim's
disappearance. Connie invited Jim to Cameron
Highlands on that fateful Easter weekend. He had
just opened the Thai Silk Company's new shop
on Surawong Road and was exhausted. She suggested
he join her and Dr. and Mrs. Ling in the cool hill
station,Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, and she made the
arrangements.

Years earlier, Jim, a trained architect, fell in love
with old teak houses. He and Connie would travel to
Ayuddhya every weekend to look at houses which
they purchased. Jim put huge letters in chalk on each
wall and numbers to designate which house they belonged
to and shipped them on a rice barge down the river to
Bangkok. He assembled his first and then went to work
on Connie's. I was a small child at that time and my
brother, cousins and I were delighted to romp and play
in a giant puzzle that Jim was constructing.

He often said that he resolved all the problems he
encountered in his house, in Connie's. It became the
blue print for many houses that were being constructed
in Bangkok. It was commonplace to find contractors
and architects measuring the house during the day.

As the sun set, they were gone, and heads of state and
movie stars enjoyed the evening air on the large
balcony that overlooked the lush garden. On special
occasions, classical dancers entertained the guests.
I have Connie's guest book which is a tribute to her
from the rich and famous of her time.

Jim's house was built on a klong which has guarded
it safely from being overtaken by modern Bangkok.
Sadly, Connie's house, once in a quiet residential area of
Bangkok, became overshadowed by tall condominium
towers. The house was moved and it sits at the edge
of a lake outside of Bangkok, in retirement from its
heady social life at the helm of Bangkok Society.

Linda's Restaurant - Rimpa - Lapin

Rimpa Lapin Restaurant Serves the Best View By Harold Stephens:

Beautiful sunsets are a sailor’s nourishment after a long day at sea, but are even better when you can enjoy a great sunset from land. When I was sailing my schooner around the Pacific, I sailed up the Gulf of Siam from Singapore to Bangkok, stopping in Pattaya. My good friends, Connie Mangskau and her daughter Joanna Cross invited me and my crew to stay and rest for a few days at the family beachhouse, just south of Pattaya. Connie would gather everyone on the balcony just before sunset and a tray of drinks would appear with the houseboy ready to mix whatever your pleasure was that evening. Watching the sun disappear in glory and magnificence, many stories were exchanged. I hold memories of those fabulous evenings fondly in my heart.

Imagine my surprise when I watched a sunset just the other evening, very similar to those I remember so well. Just a short distance from the family house, there now stands a fabulous seafood restaurant, Rimpa-Lapin, run by Connie’s granddaughter, Linda Cross. The property had been in the family for a very long time but nothing was built on it. It was a high cliff that had no access to the beach. Linda used to come and sit on the cliff when she was co-hosting ieshow.com on T.V. She dreamed that one day she would build a restaurant on this spot and began making plans in her head. Two years ago, she began building. The cliff was cut into 3 levels, so diners could chose which level they would prefer, and of course the view is grand from each of the levels. The building is made of wood and is open and airy, just what is needed for tropical evenings.

Linda went to school in Europe and the U.S. before she returned to Thailand in her early twenties. She gained a discerning palate from her father, Barrie V. Cross, hotelier extraordinare who was a legend in Bangkok. From the culinary delights she enjoyed all over the world, she has combined the local fresh seafood and spices to offer excellent Thai and Thai-fusion cuisine at Rimpa-Lapin. Course after course arrived at our table, one tastier than the one before until we couldn’t eat anymore. After a fine meal with my old friends, Joanna and Linda Cross, I savored my scotch on the rocks and watched the sun slowly fade into the horizon. And for just a second, I was that dashing young captain once again, ready to sail of the Third Sea to yet another port for another adventure.

www.rimpa-lapin.com

Update 2009

So many people have been in touch with me through the website. I am almost through gathering all the information about my grandmother Connie's life. I have been in touch with family all over the world and made many new friends. If you are reading this blog for the first time and knew Connie, please feel free to contact me, I am always looking for stories.

My sister Linda has opened a restaurant south of Pattaya near Connie's old house. An old family friend, Harold Stephens wrote about it and his article follows this update.

I'll look forward to hearing from you!
MaryAnne Stanislaw