The Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung) is regarded one of the central attractions of Bali where evening performances are regularly staged, and it is a hub of art and literature. It has an imposing façade preserved since the time it was built by the lord, Tjokorda Putu Kandel (1800-1823). It lies at the edge of the Monkey Forest Sanctuary of Padangtegal with its long-tailed macaque and nearby is the famous Balinese babi guling Bu Oka warung. It is also used for the opening ceremony of the annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. Ong Kim Seng still makes regular pilgrimages to the sacred paradise island. He deftly painted the first layer of impressions on the spot, and completed the rest of the details back in his hotel room. Ong Kim Seng is Singapore’s world-acclaimed and richly decorated watercolourist. Self-taught, he became a fulltime artist in 1985 and has had solos all over Southeast Asia, the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Germany, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Middle East. He was the first Asian outside the United States to be made a member of the American Watercolour Society, winning a grand total of six different awards and which resulted in him made a Dolphin Fellow in 2000. In Singapore, he won the Cultural Medallion (1990) and Arts Supporter Award (2001) and was art adviser to the National Arts Council since 1998. He was also the organising chairman of the Asian Watercolours ’97. His collectors include Queen Elizabeth II, former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, and former prime ministers of Japan, India and Thailand.