Travel fanatics who are really lucky manage to find themselves an employer who will send them someplace interesting, just in return for actually working there during the week. And so, I was fortunate that my company has an office in India and thought it would be a good idea for me to visit our team of analysts there.

This was my 15th country and my 4th continent, and it's unlike any place I have ever been. Fortified with immunizations, malaria pills, anti-bacterial wipes (which I quit using after the first day) and a just-in-case supply of a strong antibiotic, I set off on the long road from Kansas to Delhi.

The restaurant at the hotel was a real experience. There I was able to feast on wickedly hot stuff like mango pickle, ginger chutney and chickpeas in tomato sauce. And that was just breakfast!

Dinner included equally wonderful local food followed by European-style desserts. I ate mostly vegetarian and never missed the meat. In fact, my system reacted more strongly to the switch back to Kansas food than it did to Indian food!