December 13th- 16th: Nellie Bly is anxious as her steamship crosses through the Bay of Bengal and the Straits of Malacca to make up for lost time. In these few days, she does make progress. She touches down in two ports in Malaysia: Penang and Singapore.  While in Singapore, she analyzes how different cultures express the human experiences in vastly different ways. She compares and contrasts her normal to those on the other side of the planet and makes a very impulsive purchase. But to her delight, she has reached her mid-point, and Nellie Bly is officially halfway around the world.