Hollywood star Richard Gere arrived in Bali on Tuesday

After touring Yogyakarta’s Borobudur temple and meeting with Indonesian officials, Golden Globe winning actor Richard Gere and his family are currently vacationing in Bali.

The actor did not respond to any journalist inquiries about his Bali trip, saying that it was a vacation and that he didn’t want to be disturbed.

Gere was in Indonesia on official invitation to attend a ceremony at Borobudur temple, and met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Tourism and Culture Minister Jero Wacik in Jakarta. Gere, who is also a devout Buddhist, was reportedly enchanted by the temple and expressed interest in filming a movie about Sir Stamford Raffles discovery of the ancient temple.

“I won’t make a film like the kind that Julia Roberts made in Bali,” he said. “I want to make a film about the history of this temple. I really want to do this.”

Wacik was equally enchanted by Gere’s visit.“We were looking for an international figure who could relate closely to Borobudur, and that figure is Richard Gere,” he said. “He’s now become Indonesia’s informal tourism ambassador, for which he’s not being paid at all.”

Hollywood star Richard Gere arrived in Bali on Tuesday, along with his wife and son, for a holiday after visiting Indonesia's largest Buddhist monument, the Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta, a day earlier.

Gere arrived at about 10 a.m. at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, on board a flight with national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia from Adi Sutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta.

He and his wife refused to respond to journalists' inquiries, saying they were in Bali on vacation and did not want to be disturbed.,Gere is in Indonesia on an invitation from the Culture and Tourism Ministry in its efforts to promote tourism here.

He was swarmed by journalists and spectators alike while visiting Borobudur on Monday, forcing him to cancel part of his scheduled agenda, including a visit to neighboring Mendut and Pawon temples.

On Sunday, Gere met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, during which they reportedly discussed humanitarian issues.

Source : theJakartapost.com