Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator and embarking on his quest for the U.S. presidency, Barack Obama launched a successful career as a writer, publishing the best sellers Dreams From My Father (Times Books, 1995) followed by The Audacity of Hope (Crown, 2006).

According to a report in the New York Times quoting the Presidential candidate's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Senator Obama retreated to the island of "Bali for several months with his wife, Michelle, to find a peaceful sanctuary where there were no phones."

The Balinese writing sabbatical took place after Obama's graduation from Harvard Law School in the early 1990s.

Is Bali and inspiring Island? Just ask Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for U.S. President. He'll tell you that Bali is the pause that refreshes on the way to the U.S.A.'s top job.