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After a visit that was definitely too short in Hong Kong, I once again found myself back at the airport and on my way to Singapore, the last stop of my two-week trip around Asia. I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I arrived in Singapore, all that I really knew was that I wouldn’t be chewing any gum on this particular visit.

Singapore definitely surprised me with how incredibly cosmopolitan and Western it is. Having been a former British colony, English is one of Singapore's four officially recognized languages, which made getting around and conversing a breeze.

The biggest shocker to me was the weather. Little did I realize that it is always summer time in Singapore--hot, hot, hot, and incredibly humid. Being only 85 miles north of the equator, you can imagine the climate Think Atlanta in late July or early August--and all I packed were fall sweaters! Thank goodness for ice cream bread sandwiches to help beat the heat.

With more than 42% of the population in Singapore being made up of foreigners, the diverse mix of cultures provides for a wide variety of culinary options at meal time. One of my most favorite experiences on the trip was sampling food at a local market one evening.

My culinary tour guide was the parent of a current Emory student and he wanted me to experience the real Singapore. Andrew Zimmern I am not, but tasting the local cuisine is one of my most favorite parts of traveling, so I was up for the challenge.

My dinner that night paid homage to three of the largest populations in Singapore--Chinese noodle soup, Indian naan bread with a spicy dipping sauce, Arabic soup made with goat tongue and a local Singapore dessert of gelatinous cubes made from seaweed and sweetened with yams and coconut milk. All that was missing was the Durian fruit, for which I am thankful!

While in Singapore, I also got the chance to meet up with Emory alumna Jamie Koh 07B, the winner of Singapore’s recent “The Ultimate Start-Up Space” challenge. Jamie and her business partner are co-owners of The Chupitso bar and dreamed up the winning idea for the challenge while on a backpacking adventure together.

Their entry beat out 200 others to win six months free rent in the trendy area of Clarke Quay and a nest egg to start their business. The Chupitso Bar recently made its debut and seems to be s a hit with locals and tourists visiting in Singapore. Congrats, Jamie!

After an exciting two-week journey filled with new friends in Asia, great food and many memories, my final destination is Atlanta. It has been a great trip and I hope that you’ve enjoyed following along! Where will my travels take me next? Be sure to check back here on EAAvesdropping for the latest scoop.

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I have some wonderful, new tales from the high seas aboard the USNS MERCY. I promise it's worth it.

Our four-day stop in Singapore was a much-needed respite from the daily grind of shipboard life. After finishing two grueling mission sites in Vietnam and Cambodia, a soft hotel bed, no reveille in the morning, and the opportunity to get some real food were all welcome departures from our routine.

The highlight of the trip was meeting up with two of the Singaporean ophthalmologists who had worked with us in Vietnam. They treated a small group of us to dinner at one of their favorite local restaurants. We enjoyed the Singaporean specials of peppered crab and chili poached fish-- both dishes were spicy enough that I was sweating from every pore on my body. Always willing to try new foods, I made the grave mistake of agreeing to eat durian for dessert.

Because of the pungent odor, durian is not allowed in taxis or subways. Our Singaporean friends cracked them open and dug right in, literally. After watching the proper technique for scooping the squishy yellow pulp from its bed, I lifted a section out and stuffed it in my mouth - big mistake. The texture and flavor combined to overload my taste buds and sent me into a tailspin of gagging and retching. The Singapore guys were on the floor laughing out loud.

Singapore is a bustling city and our time there passed all too quickly. Before I knew it, we were all back on the ship and heading for Indonesia.

Heading south from Singapore, we crossed the equator and the ship's usual routine was interrupted as we participated in the time-honored naval tradition of the "Crossing the Line" ceremony. This involves the uninitiated "pollywogs" (see what this is in the previous link) having to prove their seaworthiness to the "trusted shellbacks" through a series of physical and mental challenges. Having gone through as a pollywog in 2008, I can definitely say it is better to participate as a trusty shellback. My directorate did win the Pollywog Talent Show with an inspiring cover of the Village People's "In the Navy."

As a senior shellback, my role this year was as the Royal Surgeon and personal advisor to Neptunus Rex. Essentially, I got to sit in a lawn chair right up front and watch the festivities directly in front of me. The good-natured fun concluded with a "steel beach" picnic on the flight deck to welcome over 700 new shellbacks to the fold. It was about at this juncture that our “special project” for Darwin, Australia was hatched (more on this later).

Our arrival in Indonesia was much heralded as the current model of these Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief missions was originally borne out of the MERCY's disaster relief efforts after the tsunamis of 2005. This year marked the first time that MERCY had returned to Indonesia since 2006 and we received an overwhelmingly warm and generous reception. Our area of operation was the central Moluccas islands, which are famous for the spice trade. At any of the open-air markets one could find fresh pepper, nutmeg, or cloves. The local cuisine was richly invested with these spices and the dishes found in the local restaurants were a treat to the palate.

Indonesia is largely a dry country, and a good bottle of wine with which to enjoy a meal was not easily found. We visited three islands during our month in Indonesia, the corresponding cities were - Tobelo, Jailolo, and Ambon. Each had its own unique beauty and there was an active volcano spewing ash into the sky as we lay at anchor off Jailolo. I immediately knew this would be a great stop.

In 2008, I had met Indonesian Colonel Arie Zakaria, a well-trained orthopedic surgeon who spent a month on MERCY with us. Colonel Zakaria was back again this year, and this time with his own Indonesia hospital-ship - a converted Korean amphibious assault ship complete with hyperbaric chamber and landing craft. The inside of the ship looked remarkably similar to MERCY even to the point of being painted the same horrible 1950s lime green color down the passageways. Arie is a bit of a mover and shaker in the world of Indonesian politics and he arranged for five of us to come over and visit his ship on the day that the president of Indonesia was going to be there.

The MERCY's stop in Ambon was part of a large disaster relief training mission and also an opportunity for their leader to present an award to us for the ships role in the tsunami relief efforts of 2005. In any event, I found myself face-to-face with the Indonesian president in the operating room lounge aboard the Indonesian Hospital ship. He was extremely gracious and invited all of us to take photos with him. What a great time!

Tune in tomorrow for an enthralling story on the “special project” I mentioned earlier. You won’t regret it!

--CDR Trent Douglas 95M, director, surgical services, USNS Mercy