Ujung Water Palace

Seems that the kings (or rather raja) of the time absolutely loved water palaces. This palace was the one that was actually lived in by the last raja (and his 20 some-odd children – quite crowded I’m sure). Unfortunately, the palace was almost completely destroyed when the volcano erupted in 1963 but the palace was rebuilt. It’s again in a gorgeous setting, sitting on a hill, overlooking a beautiful bay. The palace itself must have been gorgeous in its time. It’s interesting…for privacy they met out in the open. One of the constructions was a covered but completely open room, located in the middle of the “ponds”. There was only one narrow bridge out to it, and it was easily guarded at its entrance. It allowed the raja to meet with other, being secure that no one could overhear their discussions.