Being home alone may not be a bad thing after all as I am now free to indulge in my favourite pastime, fantasying of course. Maybe I should also go away to some dream holiday. But where shall I go? Whenever I am fantasying one name always crop up - Fantasy Island of course, the resort that I used to visit weekly during the period 1978 to 1984.
Mr Roarke and Tattoo
welcoming guests
What is Fantasy Island? Fantasy Island is a paradise resort hidden somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, only known to the privileged few. It is a mysterious island where the lucky visitor is granted his or her every wish and desire with no limits. You want to become the Prime Minister? You get it. You want to be the richest person in the world? You get it. You want to be pleasured by a harem of voluptuous and beautiful women? You get it. You want to be seduced by a horde of macho and handsome young men? You get it. You want to be anybody you wish for? You get it. The fantasies of all man and woman visitors to the island will be fulfilled. Guaranteed 100 %. "Semua boleh," "Everything can Kau Tiam" the way Malaysians would like to say it.welcoming guests
The resort is so exclusive that you can't just take any boat to the island but you have to be invited and flown in by a special sea plane fitted with water skis. When you step onto the island you will be welcomed by none other than Mr Roarke the overseer of the island and his loyal side kick called Tattoo.
Mr Roarke who always wear his white suit is a gentleman known for his cultured demeanor. Together with midget Tattoo, his energetic and similarly white suited sikekick, the two form a impeccable pair to welcome the guests to the island and also to grant the guests their fantasies.
Each time a guest arrives at the island Tattoo would run up the main bell tower to ring the bell and shout "Ze plane! Ze plane!" in his French accented English. As for Roarke he would always welcome his guests with a warm smile by lifting his glass and saying: "My dear guests, I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island."
That was years ago during the period 1978 to 1984. Today going there is THE problem. Fantasy Island is not on the mainstream tourist map and you can't google to find it on the internet. It doesn't even have a tourist agency to represent it. As for Mr Roarke he passed away in 2009 while Tattoo passed on 16 years earlier in 1993. Due to neglect the fabled Fantasy Island is no more, lost like a myth and probably gone the way of Jurassic Park, only to be inhabited by man-eating dinosaurs. Still interested?
In reality there is no such Fantasy Island. Fantasy Island was a highly-rated and long-running television series show aired from 1978 to 1984. The two main stars of the series were Ricardo Montalban, a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor who played Mr Roarke and French actor Herve Villechaize, who played Tattoo. During its run from 1978 to 1984 I used to eagerly watch the weekly Fantasy Island show on local television, and that is how I came to know about this show.
Montalbán died on January 14, 2009 of congestive heart failure at his home in the Greater Los Angeles Area, aged 88. Villechaize committed suicide by shooting himself as a result of suffering from depression due to his chronic health problem in September 4, 1993, aged 50.
Rrrrrinnngggg! Suddenly my hand phone fired up. "I am on my way back to KL from Klang. Can you please come over to pick me up?" dear wife's high-pitched voice on the other end of the line boomed crisp and clear, rudely snapping me out of my afternoon fantasy. Oh dear! So much for this home alone guy's indulgence in his afternoon fantasy. End of Fantasy Island and back to reality, except that reality is not so hot and fantastic as I had to make this madcap run in the Sat night traffic snarl to my brother-in-law's house in Cheras to pick up the wife.
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