My 2014 Adventure: Travels to Singapore, Australia & New Zealand: Final days in Singapore

It's been a relaxing last few days in Singapore. Emily and I threw a party at her apartment on Saturday night, where I was very excited to be reunited with a friend from the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company! Crazy that half way around the world we would be able to see each other again. Sunday we took it easy in the morning, and in the afternoon made our way to the Singapore Zoo. They have one of the best zoos in Southeast Asia. My favorite animals were the big cats like white tigers, lions, and cheetahs. The scariest thing we saw was the komodo dragon. They are terrifyingly fast and have over 50 strains of bacteria in their mouths; if they bite prey it will eventually die from the infection.

Later that night Emily's friend Alvin picked us up in his parents' car. They are rare here because the registration alone is around $80,000 Singaporean dollars for 10 years. He took us to the Yishun Hawker Centre for chickenrice, the national dish of Singapore. The chicken for this dish is cooked in sub-boiling temperatures in a stock solution flavored with garlic and ginger. The chicken is served cold with garnishes such as pickled pineapple, cucumber, and tomato. The rice is served piping hot with dark soy and chili dipping sauces.

We also went on an hour long hunt for durian, the King of Fruits in Asia. They have a spiky outer husk with a soft inner fruit. Durians have a pungent, almost mildewey aroma that gets stronger the more you're around it. They are so stinky that the durian is banned on public transportation in Singapore. I'm glad I tried it, but the durian is not for me. The end of the night was perfect when we visited the Marina Barrage, a dam where they've also created a pedestrian space. It was so cool and windy with people flying kites, and there was an amazing night view of the city.

This morning I am packing and getting ready for the next leg of my journey: Australia. I'll fly from Singapore overnight to Melbourne and arrive in the morning. So excited to finally see the land Down Under!