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Don’t wait for the movie to reach a cinema near you… experience the reality now, with a spell of self-indulgence in a villa set amongst the emerald-green rice paddies around Ubud. In the village of Bentuyung one Australian couple owns Castello Jasper, a coolly-elegant four-bedroom villa boasting a 16-metre pool.

At Bentuyung, where the movie’s Balinese scenes were recently filmed, have pocketed the location fees and gone back to what they do best: rice farming and ritual. Your progress up the main street might be blocked by white-turbaned men and kebaya-clad women escorting the fearsome Barong into the temple.

Self-contained villa accommodation is leading Bali’s renaissance as a top-end destination. Spa treatments, shopping and fine dining all tempt visitors at a fraction of the costs back home, whilst villas provide privacy, exclusivity and independence. And those who would like to share a little love around, could consider supporting the stray dog refuge which has adopted the slogan Feed, Spay, Love. More images

The newest of a quartet of courses is the oddly named New Kuta Golf set on the south western rim of the island between shimmering white limestone cliffs and the brilliant blue of the Indian Ocean.

Ocean breezes are also a factor at the Greg Norman designed Nirwana Bali Golf Club where the panorama at the signature 7^th hole encompasses a lovely temple.

Set in the heart of central mountain range, the 7024 yard course at the Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club has a most novel feature.  It’s set inside a long extinct volcano.

An illustrated feature on golfing in Bali can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words, depending upon editorial requirements. 

A feature or sidebar can also be written about the unique cultural attractions on the ‘Isle of the Gods’.

As Bali can be easily combined with Jakarta, a sidebar or full feature can be written on the cultural and historic attractions of Indonesia’s capital city.

Crowning a soaring column in the green heart of Jakarta is a ‘flame’ that never flickers.  It can’t because it’s made of gold!

The glistening flame is at the top of the National Monument, the futuristic landmark of this multifaceted 14 million strong capital city. 

Visitors also find much of interest in and around Taman Fatahillah, the old town square where a trio of fine museums are contained with architectural masterpieces built centuries ago by the Dutch.

 Just beyond is Sunda Kelapa, the old Dutch port where tall masted schooners await repairs or the transfer of cargo.  Nearby is Chinatown where the focal point is a Chinese temple from the mid 17th century.

An illustrated feature on Jakarta can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words, depending upon editorial requirements. 

As Bali can be easily combined with Jakarta a feature or sidebar can be written about the unique cultural attractions on the ‘Isle of the Gods’.

In addition, a feature on Bali as a golf destination can also be written to suit editorial requirements.   

There are around 130 active volcanos in the vast Indonesian archipelago and another 200 or so that are extinct but Tangkuban Prahu falls into a third geologic category: dormant activity.  The volcano just 15 km out of Bandung is also unusual because its crater is the only one on the island of Java that’s accessible by road. 

A modern road is the hard surface link to a still bubbling crater that emits stinking sulphur fumes and attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. 

Upon arrival visitors are greeted by entrepreneurs eager to sell charcoal broiled corn, hand carved bone elephants, plastic bags filled with pineapple pieces, hastily woven wicker baskets and a multitude of other wares both large and small. 

An illustrated feature on Bandung, Indonesia can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words, depending upon editorial requirements.   A separate side bar can be provided on golf opportunities around the city.

Papua, variously known as West Papua or as Irian Jaya, is Australasia's last frontier: a little-known land where Muslim Asia coexists uneasily with Melanesia;  a land which long concealed the world's richest deposits of copper and gold.

Like a huge prehistoric bird, the island of New Guinea hovers above the Australian continent; and under the bird’s breast lies an ill-explored region where snow-capped ranges fall abruptly towards the trackless forests and the pandanus swamps, down to the Arafura Sea. 

This is a little-known land where Indonesia coexists uneasily with Melanesia.  And just below those the crests of those snow-capped ranges, at 4,000 metres above sea level, lie mountains of solid ore – the world’s richest and most remote deposit of copper. 

In the boom town of Timika you can sleep – in comfort and style – within sight of birds of paradise, and play a round of golf beneath the rainforest giants; or just observe what happens when three cultures collide...

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ACROSS the lush valley high above the raging Ayung River, the resonant call of the drums beckons the villagers to the temple. The rhythmic beat soothes me like a mother’s heart beat reassures her child.

The sweet smell of incense fills the air as the dawn of a new day casts a glow over the centuries old rice paddies. Here, far from the madding crowds, I am reminded why so many have become enamoured with this enchanting island. Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet and later Spanish artist Antonio Blanco helped put Bali on the map in the early 1900s with their sensuous paintings of Balinese women and portrayal of local life. Thousands followed in their footsteps, lured by the island’s cerulean seas, emerald green rice fields and charming Bali smiles.   

Dig a little deeper and a lesser known side to Bali waits to be discovered at a growing number of luxury spa retreats that have flourished on the island since the late nineties, joining established operators Nusa Dua Spa and Bali-based Mandara Spa – early pioneers of the tropical Asian spa style.

An illustrated feature on the golf scene in Bali can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words depending upon editorial requirements.  A sidebar on the sole scenic golf course in neighbouring Lombok can also be provided.

Settling into our allocated seats as the chimes of the traditional gamelan orchestra and the reedy notes of a solo bamboo flute pour out from the train's public address. As we gather speed out of the city, morning sun throws a rich golden hue across the flooded rice paddies.  A parade of stewards begins, bearing pillows, drinks, snacks and menus.

The train winds through the minutely terraced volcanic hillsides of West Java.  A patchwork of emerald green is stitched together by clusters of terra-cotta red roofs and tree-clad volcanic ridges. Sometimes a rushing brown river passes underneath, its steep gorge fringed by coconut palms or by a belt of bananas.

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However, this is about to change, with the visit of a UNESCO delegation in early 2007 to three Balinese sites nominated for World Heritage listing by the Indonesian government. The common theme underlying all these places is the life-giving properties of water:

• The terraced rice fields of Jatiluwih. At over 300 hectares, these are one of the best examples of the centuries-old Balinese subak agricultural system;

•  The Tukad Pakerisan riverbanks in Gianyar, Bali's richest archaeological site; and

•  Taman Ayun temple in Mengwi - Bali's second biggest and one of its most elaborate Hindu temples.

This story reports on all three of these sites, how to get there, and what to get out of the experience.  

 See also Image Gallery