The important writer Mark Twain once wrote: "Mauritius was created first, then the paradise!" Sandy beaches border azure blue bays. The green sugar cane grass sways in the wind as if it were waves in the ocean. Spacious tea plantations alternate with beautiful parks. Usually prosperous guests spend their vacation here. But Mauritius is more than just a dream island for the rich and famous. The colonial times are over. However, the colourful culture is still marked by the former slaves and Indian immigrants. Dances like the "Sega" or the various Creole cuisine make a visit on this amazing island an unforgettable experience. The many species of animals also contribute to it.

The Aurora Province is located on the East-Central part of Luzon Island, the main Island of the Philippines. The province of Aurora covers the eastern portion of the Sierra Madre Mountains, hence it is generally mountainous. Its coastline spans 332 kilometres in length. Aurora is a province blessed with an abundance of tourist attractions. It has its share of historical sites such as the home and resthouse of former Phil-ippine President Manuel L. Quezon. The province also has a beautiful Catholic church and several historical markers. Its natural attractions include picturesque waterfalls, lush greenery on mountainsides, and panoramic beaches. Surfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, mountain climb-ing and trekking are only some of the activities you can enjoy in Aurora. The social life is dominated by a mixture of old traditions of the natives and modern arts. So the displeasing dances of former head hunters can be admired as well as the work of highly talented artists of today's time. The population lives predominantly on farming and skilled crafts. It is conspicuous how engaged scientists work out solutions for an eco-logical lasting way of managing agriculture and to increase the conser-vation management. The influence of Spanish conquerors in Auroras history is still present at many places trough to the architectural style of historic buildings. Also a big Part of the population is Catholic.

In the midst of the Indo-Pacific region lies Borneo, the third-largest is-land of the world. Respectively almost half of Borneo belongs to Indonesia and Malaysia. Borneo's northern part is called Sabah and is Malaysian. Sabah is covered by dense rain forest. Access into the green heart is only possible by driving a boat upstream on big rivers like the Kinabatangan. Unique animals and plants remained undiscovered for a long time such as the droll nose monkeys or lovely orchids. The Bornean orangutan lives only here and on the island of Sumatra. So does the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros. All of the animals share the jungle with the natives, like the people of the Murut tribe. Just one hundred years ago, the Murut still were dangerous head hunters. Only a warrior who beheaded an enemy, was honoured as a full man. But also in Sabah time goes by. The idea of living together has changed dramatically. Today Sabah is a religious melting pot. All major religions coexist peaceful. Buddhist temples, Islamic mosques and Christian churches are part of the urban image of course. This film presents an Asian region where people successfully handle the balancing act between nature, traditional culture and the modern world.

Australia stands for tourism icons like the Ayers Rock, the Pinnacles and the Kakadu National Park. Crocodiles, Koalas and Kangaroos are possibly the most popular animals of the world. Venomous snakes, and spiders are in focus of the media as well as the famous great Barrier Reef and the Ningaloo Reef - the reef of the whale sharks. This under-water documentary concentrates on the two big coral reefs. The Aus-tralian Paul Waghorn is one of the underwater specialists of the Moun-tain Pictures team. He possibly spends more hours underwater than on land. He describes the biodiversity off the two reefs at the east and west coast of Australia as a symphony of the ocean. It teaches us to understand not only the animals but also our own humans variety of species as a miracle. Nature does not know man made rules and reli-gions and it is anything but a happy wonderland. The species have developed her own methods of surviving. Pauls cinematic concert is asking the spectator to think about wrong or right, good and bad, stu-pidity and cleverness in the world of plants and creatures of the ocean.