A lovely spot to visit and a great place to buy fruit.

On my second day in Bali, I did a short, half-day 'program' which included this palace and Tirta Gangga. After the much busier Tirta Gangga, Taman Ujung was a quiet change of pace. There were no more than six people on the grounds when I visited. The entry fee was 20,000 rph (twice as much as Tirta Gangga) but still a bargain. My understanding is that much of the palace was destroyed when Mount Agung erupted and further damaged by a subsequent earthquake. Now the palace has been beautifully restored. If you're up for it, climb the stairs to see an amazing view of the grounds and the ocean beyond. This is another attraction you can see on your own without a guide. Off to one side, I discovered a fenced area with several deer. A lovely place to wander at a leasurely pace.

We visited this Water Palace on the outskirts of Amlapura on a day trip from Amed, hiring a car and driver for 300,000 ($35). This place was built by the king of Karangasem in 1919 and has several different structures in quite a few large areas of water. It was almost completely destroyed in the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963 but is in the process of being restored; to me, the restoration looked almost complete. Taman Ujung is much larger than the better-known Tirta Gangga, having temples and various other architectural structures, as well as fountains and sculptures, arranged throughout the site. We walked through the Balai Gili, the main building standing in the middle of the largest pool with two bridges that connect it to either side; this was the resting place for the royal family. Inside, two different couples dressed in white were having their wedding photos taken. In style the building seems to combine what look like Islamic features with European and Balinese ones. Outside, in the garden, another couple dressed in purple and gold Balinese dress posed against the beautiful backdrop of the Balai Kambang, the floating pavilion from whose tiled floor we could see the Round Building, the ruined gatehouse, and a long set of stairs leading up to another pavilion on the far hill. Taman Ujung is lovely. See pictures here: http://lmaclean.ca/2011/11/amed-road-trip-vienna-beach-japanese-wreck-and-taman-soekasada-ujung-karangasem-water-palace/