Find Serenity On the Waters of India

India is the second most-populous country on earth, which brings to mind crowds, noise and stress, rather than thoughts of a relaxing vacation.

But you can indeed find peace and tranquility here -- in unusual settings that you won't find anywhere else on earth.
Here are two unique places to find peace by the water:

Relax Like a Royal at the Lake Palace

In Northwest India, in the state of Rajasthan, there is the city of Udaipur, known as the Venice of the East, the City of the Lakes, the City of Sunrise, and the City of the Dawn.

When you first arrive, you'll think that's an awful lot of hyperbole, as the city seems fairly a typical one of its size in India -- a place where cars zigzag down the streets, drivers lean on their horns and cows and goats wander everywhere.

You'll start to understand how all the lyrical names came about when you reach Lake Pichola, just outside of the city. This lake is about two miles long, and a mile wide, and the red Aravalli Mountains just beyond seem to rise from its blue waters.

Udaipur was once the seat of power for the royal family that ruled the region. Over a period of centuries, they constructed a series of palaces around the lake -- and one that fully occupies a four-acre island in the middle of the lake, called Jag Niwas, or the Lake Palace.
The Lake Palace was designed to be disarming: It was constructed in 1743 by Maharana [Prince] Jagat Singh II as a place to woo the women of his court. It was certainly one site of conquest for a certain British secret agent -- the James Bond movie Octopussy (SNE) was filmed here.