Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

From left to right: Miss Ghana Irene Dwomoh, Miss Guadeloupe Nancy Karen Fleurival, Miss Indonesia Kamidia Radisti and Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps tour the Great Wall of China, at Badaling, north of Beijing, during a visit by Miss World contestants, Wednesday, November 21, 2007. - ap

Last year November, when Miss Jamaica World Yendi Phillips left for Sanya, China, for the finals of the Miss World competition she didn't quite know what to expect. While in China, for the beautiful and talented STAR of the month, it was a learning experience that was often filled with strange cultural differences.

Before embarking on her journey, according to Yendi, China was a destination that had always interested her. She said, "China seemed to be a place that was technologically advanced. I wanted to see that first-hand ... there were certain areas that were, such as Beijing, but in Sanya, the vibe was more laid- back and tropical. it wasn't as industrial."

Lots of difference

When in China, things are a lot different than in Jamaica. Yendi told the STAR that the food in China is different from Jamaican Chinese food, which uses more seasoning. Some of the stranger dishes the beauty queen encountered were dog meat, monkey brains and the head of the chicken being used as a garnish.

Yendi described another weird experience, saying, "the bathroom was extremely different it was literally a hole in the ground with foot holds carved into the ground. The only modern toilets were in the hotels."

While movies such as Miss Congeniality and others have painted a picture of beauty pageants as women behaving like divas, trying to trip and hurt their fellow competitors, for Yendi, most of the contestants were quite nice. However, there were still those who got involved in verbal alterations, catty and diva behaviour.

But Yendi says she made lasting friends in Vivian Burkhardt, Miss Grenada, Megan Coleman, Miss South Africa and others.

Left: Yendi Phillips shows some moves at the Miss Jamaica World 2007 Coronation Show, held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Saturday, August 25, 2007. - winston sill Right: Miss Jamaica World 2007 Yendi Phillipps poses during her Miss World photo shoot with international photographer, Marco DiFlorio, recently. Historic Devon House, in Kingston Jamaica was the scene for the shoot. A selection of the photos were sent to Miss World for use on their website, www.missworld.com.

Yendi will wear her Miss World Wardrobe pieces at her Celebrity Fashion Show to be held at the Jamaica Pegasus on Sunday October 21. - contributed