Miss Grand KL contestants go sightseeing with KL Hop-on Hop-off

In the run-up to the pageant final, the 14 finalists of Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2020 were invited to city sightseeing with KL Hop-on Hop-off bus serving as a sponsor of Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2020 pageant.

On hand to welcome the contestants at Swiss Garden Hotel Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, the pick-up point, were the hotel’s marcom manager CJ Kalavaani Karupiah and Kuala Lumpur Hop-on Hop-off sales manager Wan Ahmad Bin Wan Yahya.

“We are excited to have all the contestants on board and we hope they enjoy the sightseeing. We wish them all the very best for their success ahead at the Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur pageant final and for the future,” said Wan Ahmad.

The ladies hopped on the double-decked bus and headed to the upper deck with its open-air seating which took them on a sightseeing of the various city attractions.

Accompanying them on the ride were Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2020 state director and organiser Rosalinda Talip, Wan Ahmad, Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2019 champion Kishweni Jaganathan and first runner-up Chermaine Kang.

The contestants had a lot fun and an enjoyable experience at the various stops visiting many of the city’s top attractions such as Central Market, KTM, Chinatown, Little India, KL Citywalk, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower. For many of them, it was their first time taking a Hop-on Hop-off bus. 

They also did a catwalk challenge trying to outperform each other at some of the tourist spots.

Rosalinda said the contestants will be giving their all under challenging conditions at the finals.

“They are all lovely ladies who impressed with their dedication, determination and gracious confidence, and they have my deepest respect and appreciation,” she said.

The Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2020 final will be held at Swiss Garden Hotel Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, as the official hotel venue sponsor, on March 15, 2020.

The champion and first-runner will go on to compete at the national level for Miss Grand Malaysia 2020 at the end of June this year, with a total of 24 Miss Grand Malaysia finalists competing for the grand title.

Sandji Dhaliwal was among the 14 finalists who gathered at the entrance of Swiss Garden Hotel Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur for the KL Hop-on Hop-off city tour. 

She was excited as this was the first time she’d been on a Hop-on Hop-off bus in her life.

“Absolutely enjoyed it! I love how we were taken to visit most of the tourist spots around KL in a jiffy. The commentator in the bus explained the significance of each and every spot we were headed to and that made us all a lot more excited to check it out. Hygiene was also taken into account by KL Hop On Hop Off due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak by placing hand sanitisers in the bus for our use every time we hop on or hop off,” she said. 

The 23-year-old actuarial science graduate and currently interning for a bitcoin exchange company is preparing herself mentally and physically for the pageant final which is less than a week away.

“Thanks to yoga, I’ve learned from meditating on a daily basis after few yoga poses. This helps me clear my mind, unwind and relax my muscles after practicing my catwalk in super high heels. I have less than a week to go until the coronation night and am taking extra good care of myself to ensure I’m in the right state of mind and body for the big day,” she said.

Raising public awareness and advocating for early detection and prevention of cancer is Sandji Dhaliwal’s chosen advocacy throughout her journey to the Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur pageant. 

“It’s our duty to resolve any kind of conflicts that the world may have and focus our effort on improving the quality of life for human kind,” she said in support of Miss Grand’s ‘Stop the War and Violence’ campaign.

“Let us not forget about the most dangerous war, the war that exists inside of us. The one that is dangerous until it is discovered – cancer. The Health Ministry of Malaysia says 60% of cancer go undetected until the last few stages of cancer, and stage four is when the cancer has already spread to the rest of our body and stage four is usually almost always fatal,” added Sandji whose father passed away early this year due to stage four pancreatic cancer just four days after diagnosis.

She has reached out to a cancer organization and they are in talks of including her in its future projects to create awareness on this subject matter.

“I hope I can win this pageant and use the title to inspire people and raise awareness about cancer, early detection and prevention.”

Sandji is also a social media influencer where she shares with her followers about lifestyle products, beauty products, the latest tech products and events to look out for.

She loves watching TEDx talks and learning and expanding her mind from podcasts, and her interests include reading, yoga and Bollywood dancing.

For law student and unit trust consultant Lindsey Yap this was her first riding on KL Hop-on Hop-off bus since launched in 2006.The born-and-bred KL-ite can’t help but finds herself still charmed by the city’s fascinating attractions.

“It was a childhood dream comes true as I had always hoped I would be able to experience it. It was an incredible experience and I will highly recommend it. Though I have often passed by a few of the attractions, it was still a very different feeling. You feel excited when you ride on the Hop-on Hop-off bus as a tourist with the feeling of anticipation not knowing which stop they will bring you until they announce and explain the history of every part of the city. At the same time, this is the best time to have a closer look around the city that you drive to get to work every morning,” she said.

Tan had previously participated in several pageants, including Miss Global Intercontinental Malaysia 2016 (Miss Personality) and Face of Zion 2018 (Top 4 and Best Photogenic Look)

She is already hard at work with preparation for the final pageant. 

“I’m giving my best in every practice I do. I’ll make sure I do workout every day to be in my best shape and most importantly to be mentally strong.”

The KL-ite enjoys swimming and playing tennis.

Admin assistant Angelica Tan, 23, from Melaka is excited because this was her first time going on a hop-on hop-off bus.

“It was pretty amazing. We get to travel lots of places in KL and see the authentic food, cultures and historical buildings. Definitely a great place for tourists to explore,” she said.

Tan is excited to be a finalist in the Miss Grand Kuala Lumpur 2020 and is going all out to prove her worth.

“I’m kinda nervous, and excited at the same time. Can’t wait for that very special day. That’s the day where I can showcase my confidence and my potential,” she said.

She competed in Miss Malaysia Global 2016 (Miss Photogenic and Top 5), Miss Melaka 2015 (2nd runner-up) and AMN Jewelry Princess Malaysia 2015 (Miss Photogenic and Top 5).

“I would like to be the best version of myself and prove I can achieve something in my life in the entertainment and fashion industries,” she added.

Tan enjoys travelling, and exploring and learning new things.