In Reply to: on way to Candidasa posted by Beth on Monday, 5. March 2007 at 20:29 Bali Time:
The water palaces were the fetish of a local king early last century. I visited two in January. One at Ujung south of Amlapura (about 15Km east of Candidasa from memory) in a valley near the coast. two big rectangular lakes with buildings in the centre connected by bridges. Second about 10km? north (Tirta Ganga??) a series of artificial lakes on a terraced hillside. Worth a visit.
Best experience near Candidasa, hired a car to Besakih temple on the mountain - my view not worth the trip but that's personal taste - but the drive back through Rendang and Sidemen to Candidasa was fantastic. At Sidemen (maybe 15 km north of Candidasa) there is a hotel with views down to the coast that are breathtaking. We must have stopped the car 10 times on the drive down to photograph the rice paddy terraces and coastal views.
Enjoy