One month in China attending high-profile functions, photo shoots in several cities, participating in five different competitions, battling the cold weather and putting her best foot forward every time she stepped out of the hotel room, can leave a girl longing for her quiet room in Georgetown and great tropical weather.

She arrived in London last Monday, two days after the December 6 airing of the Miss World Pageant, with a head full of wonderful memories, picturesque scenes of China she most definitely wouldn't forget in a hurry, and an address book packed with E-mail addresses and telephone numbers of new friends.

Her after-pageant treat was one week in England to unwind. Failing to be chosen as one of the top 20 semi-finalists was a disappointment she shared with President Bharrat Jagdeo during a courtesy call last Monday evening at the Hilton Hotel in London. The President was in transit in London after attending the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Nigeria.

However, Guyana's queen has no regrets.

"I gave it my best. I'm very pleased with what I've done. I have no regrets, no doubts. I'm very happy with my overall performance in China," she quickly made clear, sitting opposite the head of state in an excellently decorated fourth floor suite.

Franchise holder Ken Chung and pageant designer Derek Moore concurred.

"She has made us proud with the way she carried herself throughout," Ken added.

With questions about her experiences in China from the President, Alexis had lots to chat about during the two-hour visit.

Her Great Wall of China, Beijing, visit was one of the highest points of her multi-city trip - Hong Kong, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Haikou and Sanya.

"I was in awe. This was the Great Wall of China and I was there. It has so much history behind it," she shared, moving her left hand in a zigzag movement similar to that of the structure which was initially several walls built in the 7th century B.C. for defense purposes by various tribes.

Alexis was in Group 8, the most multi-cultured bunch, according to her. "My group was very diverse. There were girls representing Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands and Guatemala among others. We were probably the most bubbly group and we were all friends."

The reception from the other delegates was not what she expected, she confessed.

"What were you expecting?" the President enquired.
"To be honest, an unfriendly atmosphere," the chocolate-toned beauty laughed. Instead, she met friendly and funny young women, even though many of them got little support from local franchise holders.

"If a girl forgot her hot curler or blow dryer, she had no problem because we helped each other," Miss Guyana World recounted.

Even the new queen, Miss Ireland, Rosanna Davison, was very nice, according to Alexis.

"After she was crowned, everyone was very happy for her. She was very nice throughout the trip. There were no problems during the month."

Even though she had no family members in Sanya, Alexis had no time to feel lonely in the company of 105 other girls.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were treated really well every where we visited," the Berbice native beamed, before thanking the President for the jewellery provided by his Office as her official gift to the host country. "The girls were amazed because most of them have only seen white gold. And the design... was wonderful."

President Jagdeo explained that while his Office will support Guyana's international queens, he strongly believes that the sustainability of the local Miss World and Miss Universe pageants depends on an active private sector.

"Of course, the private sector is self-motivated or driven by self-interest. I feel the private sector has not been supportive of many events. For instance... if Government doesn't carry Mashramani, it will fail," the President said.

On the other hand, he added, "people get turned off" because there are so many pageants nowadays. He also stressed that franchise holders must produce an excellent product if they want to convince the conservative business sector.

With the visit nearing the end, the conversation switched to Alexis' future plans.

"I've learnt there is more than just competing at the Miss World Pageant. What you do after... matters. Miss India Ami Vashi and I spoke a lot. She's involved in lots of charitable work with battered women. It made me very determined to get involved in social work at home. My platform (for the local pageant) was Child Abuse, but I plan to widen it to include abused women."

The Guyanese leader appeared impressed with her eagerness to lend a hand to social causes.

"We need many more people being involved in social causes, especially celebrities. I think the queens who do well (are) interested (in causes) and have drive. They have to want to do it," he told Alexis.

With photos out of the way, the only words left to be said were: "See you in Guyana, Alexis."

Miss Guyana World spent the remainder of her week shopping for Christmas gifts, attending another photo shoot and taking in a few more tourist sites.

"The entire trip, including London was fantastic," she said. "But I can't wait to go home. I miss my family. I miss Guyana."

Guess what? Alexis was so anxious to say goodbye to the cold English weather, she blatantly refused to unpack her suitcase that was filled with the 30-odd outfits that made up the Miss Guyana World 2003 wardrobe during her week stay in England.