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Laos is one of the best bargains in Southeast Asia—and that’s saying something, since most countries there are relatively cheap for travelers. Because tourism is only beginning to make inroads in Laos, visitors are not seen as mere revenue streams; locals extend a warm and genuine welcome. You can find an inexpensive guesthouse for less than $20 a night; open-air cafes along the Mekong River offer absurdly cheap French and Lao specialties.

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Ujung Water Palace, which by the local people is called as Taman Soekasada Ujung, lies at Tumbu village, Karangasem district. It is approximately 85 km from Airport Denpasar and 5 km from Amlapura. The water palace was built in 1919. However, the launching of this complex of water palace was performed in 1912. The water palace was constructed by the late King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Djelantik that reigned in Karangasem from 1909 until 1945. This water Palace was majestically built to welcome and to serve important guests and Kings from neighboring countries, besides for the pleasure of the King and his royal family.

courtesy of A. Bulantrisna Djelantik

The greatness of Ujung Water Palace had been destructed by the World War II when Japanese dismantled iron bars in Taman Ujung for weaponry production then followed by Mount Agung eruption in 1963. Another earthquake in North Bali around 1976 helplessly shattered Taman Ujung into pieces. The government and the royal family of Karangasem reconstructed this water palace and restored its former glory. (more…)