Ubud is indisputably the cultural hub of Bali, a community characterised by temple processions and traditional dance and music performances. A tourist town, yet worlds apart from the beer and beaches of Kuta.

Where better to Eat, Pray, Love? Author Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal journey in search of self-fulfilment reached its conclusion (I hesitate to say climax) here. Narcissistic navel-gazing? No, I didn’t hear that, nor did the thousands of readers who snapped up this bestseller. Don’t wait for the movie, starring Julia Roberts, to reach a cinema near you… experience the reality now.

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

An hour’s stroll through the rice paddies, wending your way past the cottage studios of eager artists and artisans and a thriving organic food café, leads down into the main street of Ubud, still at heart an overgrown village. Spa treatments, shopping and fine dining all tempt visitors at a fraction of the costs back home. 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.

These images were taken with Nikon D300 using RAW format, and are available for licensing.