Kayaking, salsa and spicy mango: Miss Universe Kaziah Liz Mejo's plans for Puerto Rico

Dubai: Miss Universe India Kaziah Liz Mejo has a plan for Puerto Rico, and it involves glowing water, spicy mango and a lot of salsa.

The Abu Dhabi-raised 19-year-old shared a video ahead of Miss Universe 2026 about how she hopes to experience the host island's culture, food and music.

"I am coming to Puerto Rico with an open mind, a curious heart, and probably way too much energy, but I know that the best way to discover a place is not through a postcard but through the people who call it home," she said.

The competition runs from November 8 to 24, with the final at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan. It comes shortly after Kaziah's brief homecoming to the UAE, where she spoke to Gulf News about her Abu Dhabi roots and Bollywood dreams.

Top of her list is kayaking in one of Puerto Rico's bioluminescent bays. The island has three: Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in Lajas, where microscopic organisms make the water glow at night.

Kaziah said seeing them has long been a dream, and that coming from a country that celebrates light, she would feel right at home.

She already knows how she would mark the moment. "I would most likely turn it into a full-blown Bollywood moment," she said.

Asked to describe Puerto Rico as a flavour, Kaziah chose mango with a little spice: bold, tropical and vibrant, with a kick no one sees coming.

"And as an Indian, trust me, I get it because we love our food and our flavours to be so bold, and our experiences even more so. So, Puerto Rico, I am ready to taste your flavours," she said.

For music, salsa is the rhythm she says matches her personality best.

"The expressions, the movements, and of course, the dramatic energy when needed," Kaziah said.

She admitted she might not know all the steps yet. But she cannot sit still when good music is playing, and plans to bring that energy with her.

Kaziah also reflected on the Puerto Rican phrase yo soy boricua, which translates as "I am Boricua". The word comes from Borikén, the Indigenous Taíno name for the island, and Puerto Ricans use it to describe themselves.

"It's saying that this is who I am, and this is what I am proud of," she explained.

She said Indians and Puerto Ricans share the same instinct to carry their culture with them, wherever they go.

"So Puerto Rico, when I discover your island, I want to see the pride behind the people, the stories behind your traditions, and the heartbeat behind your culture because cultures might have different languages but pride in where you come from needs absolutely no translation."

Rather than treating the island as simply a new destination, Kaziah said she wants to hear its music, taste its food, listen to its stories and dance with its people.

"As an Indian, I know that when you love your culture, you don't just carry it, you share it," she said.