Reigning Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins made her first-ever trip to India last week, and expressed to Sify News an eagerness to “to touch and feel” the country.

What has so captivated the 20-year-old Australian? A report in The Daily Telegraph allows us to rule out India’s rich historical heritage:

This week, (Hawkins) flashed her winning smile and laughed when she was asked whether she would be visiting the Taj Mahal.

“The Taj what?” she replied.

“The Taj Mahal, India’s most famous tourist spot, the monument of love, in Agra,” she was told.

“Oh, really?”

To be fair, perhaps Hawkins is a preoccupied academic who is more impressed by cultural observations than crowded tourist destinations:

“I love the way Indian girls dress up. I’m fascinated by different cultures and clothings here,” she said. “I have a video camera and I have captured people around the streets. Like one man I saw shaving on a footpath.”

The Daily Telegraph: Jen’s in Taj with culture
Sify News: I want to touch and feel India: Miss Universe