Negative Vibes All Around Mayura Water Palace (Lombok, Indonesia)

"Not worth it."

"Dishonest people."

"Run down."

"Do not go there."

Those are just some of the comments from different travelers all over the world about Mayura Water Palace that consists of an artificial lake and a floating pavilion right in the middle. This was once an important spot where royalty and his subjects conferred during the reign of the Balinese kingdom in Lombok. I went anyway, but my driver had warnings prior to my entrance.

I paid an entrance fee of 5,000 rupiah to get in. That's a cheap PhP18.60, but wait until touts, staying at the cashier, start their game on you. "You have to get a guide so you can enter the floating pavilion in the middle of the lake," said my would-be guide. "How much for your guide service?" I asked. "It's up to you," he said. That to me does not close a deal. "How much?" I insisted. "Most visitors usually give 20,000 rupiah (PhP)," he said. It's-up-to-you meant 20,000 rupiah? Though that isn't much, I wasn't willing to pay that much just to enter a pavilion on a lake I already paid my entrance for. I said, "No." I do not need to get inside the pavilion. More importantly, this was a very small place that doesn't require a guide. Besides, I can see the pavilion from the side of the lake, thank you.

He huffed. Huffed!!! I didn't care! He could be huffing like a dragon and it won't mean squat to me. I left and just walked around. Now I know why most comments about the place are nasty. So if you're planning on a Lombok trip and would specifically hire a vehicle just to visit this rather limited and rundown "water palace" that offered nothing else, don't!

This is the Eye in the Sky!