Grace pulled out her iPad to show him some new images of the hotel. ‘This might give you some idea of what they’re building.’

Steve nodded as he skimmed through some photos and drawings of the complex.

‘You’re right, it’s different from the glitzy, rich, tropical extravagance I’ve seen in some of the resorts up there.’

‘Yes. And even though they’re not finished, you can see how stunning the gardens will be. It’s natural and wild, but cleverly cultivated into these amazing, almost theatrical landscapes,’ said Grace.

‘Ah, no doubt inspired by the work of Made Wijaya,’ said Steve. ‘He was a Sydney boy named Michael White, who jumped off a ship and swam ashore to Bali in the early 1970s. He found his calling in Bali, and changed his name. He established most of the fabulous gardens in big homes and in the first resorts and hotels. He died quite young; a big loss. I can imagine what he would have done with your paradise.’

‘It’s fascinating to learn how Bali has evolved to be so contemporary, yet it never let go of its culture,’ said Grace. ‘But tourism is God there now, it seems.’

‘Yes, that’s true. The foreigners who went there in the early 1970s were welcomed because the government saw them as a means to an end. The country was broke and it had come out of a purge of mass killings and famine.’

‘I know, I recently watched the old movie, The Year of Living Dangerously.’

‘From what I’ve read, the government infiltrated everything, and they saw the expat foreigners as bringing in lots of cash. So they embraced them, thinking that was the way to the future. But it backfired. Those first tourists didn’t have money for travel as they know it now,’ said Steve.

Grace nodded. ‘My mother went up there in the late seventies. She didn’t have two pennies to rub together then, she said, but she loved it.’

‘It was the hippy era! They weren’t looking for four-star hotels; it was free love on the beach, dope and drugs, surfing and mysticism. Bali was the travellers’ pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Not quite what the government had in mind.’

‘Well, they have their tourist money in spades now.’ Grace laughed. ‘You seem to know a lot about the place; why’s that?’

‘I met some wonderful characters when I was filming the art scene doco in Ubud. You couldn’t make them up! And I only scratched the surface. As well as the artists, the dance and music culture is breathtaking.’ Steve leaned back in his chair. ‘Tell me, the name Kamasan. Does it have any connection with Kamasan village?’

‘I have no idea. What’s in Kamasan village?’

‘It’s where traditional Balinese art evolved, going back centuries. It’s a very interesting archaeological site, and art continues to be a focus there. It’s considered the “heart” of Bali.’

‘Fascinating, I didn’t know that. Hmmm, could be a theme for the campaign perhaps,’ said Grace thoughtfully.