The universe will have a new queen tomorrow. For almost 20 days, 94 beauty queens from around the world have descended on Thailand to vie for the crown. They have participated in the pageant's activities in Bangkok, Chon Buri and Krabi that brought them to a rooftop bar, temples, Government House and beaches, and tomorrow morning at 7am, one will be crowned the new Miss Universe by current title-holder Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
Like a summer camp, the contestants (as well as some immersive members of the press) have stayed together, worked together, played together, and, despite the competitive nature of the event, the camaraderie has been real and touching. Fond memories will likely stay with the contestants for life.
We now look back at some of the best moments and most astonishing ladies at this year's Miss Universe before we officially bid farewell to everyone tomorrow.
The missing 95th queen
It took Marie Esther Bangura about two weeks to reach Thailand from Sierra Leone. By the time she arrived, it was already too late to join in the competition, but she remains in the country nevertheless to support other contestants. As Sierra Leone has no Thai embassy, she travelled by sea to Nigeria to get her visa done before hopping on a flight to Ethiopia to get to Bangkok. We will see her again, however, as she will reportedly return to the competition next year instead.
Queen of democracy
What could be a more fitting national costume for Thailand today than that of Miss Great Britain, Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers? She brought a ballot box to the land that hasn’t seen a national election for over four years under the junta. We secretly hoped she would wear this to meet Uncle Tu but sadly that didn’t happen.
Sweetest gesture
A panda is a symbol of friendship, and that was exactly what Meisu Qin from China brought along as a gift for Angela Ponce from Spain who is the first transgender woman competing at Miss Universe. We definitely loved how Miss China showed her support personally to Ponce, as well as publicly when she voiced her support for transgender people on social media.
Daughter of the year
Thai fans refer to their favourite beauty queens as "daughters", and the most popular daughter this year is Trejsi Sejdini from Albania. The young dark horse rose to fans' attention with her fierce and sexy image even before she set foot at Suvarnabhumi Airport. However, what eventually got people to root for her was her friendliness when they met her in person. The hashtag #MyDaughterIsAGoodPerson was established for Sejdini and is popular on Thai social media.
Best friends
Sarah Rose Summers from USA and Francesca Hung from Australia are pretty much joined at the hip these days. Their infectious smiles and laughter plus their bright, bubbly persona have easily charmed the world over. Being friends for better and for worse, the two have waded through and swiftly settled social media drama together when their comments regarding a contestant's language barrier were misinterpreted, as well as an incident in which another contestant appeared to snatch a fan's gift from them.
Heavy lifter
The road to the crown is long, so why not bring your own chair like Nehal Chudasama from India? During the national costume contest, Chudasama -- in a princess warrior ensemble -- carried her own seat that weighed 50kg. How much do you lift again?
Most dedicated photographer
Taking photography to another level was Mariana Garcia from Guatemala who dropped to the ground for a perfect Instagram shot of Miss Paraguay, María Belén Alderete Gayoso, during their excursion at the Sanctuary of Truth. The next time a friend asks: "Can you take my photo and make sure you get EVERYTHING!" Well, this is how it's supposed to be done.
Gracious host
Sophida Kanchanarin, left, has proven since day one to be an admirable host to her new friends. She has served as an interpreter during the ladies' group interview with Thai media, and has introduced them to Thai culture and food (mango sticky rice, anyone?). Miss Thailand also brought along souvenirs for everyone, which were hand-held fans painted in the colours of the Thai flag and each country's respective flag.
