On the weekend prior to beginning my internship, I visited the beach resort town of Cox's Bazaar which is located along the Bay of Bengal on the south east of Bangladesh. It is also a fishing port and claims to have the longest unbroken natural sandy beach in the world at a 125km. The town was named after an officer of the British East India Company, named Captain Hiram Cox in the 18th century CE. Apparently, he was known for being a compassionate humanitarian who led successful rehabilitation programs in the area. Upon his death at the turn of the century, the locals named the town after him in honor of his work. Today, Cox's Bazaar is major vacation destination for Bangladeshi's.
The trip took about 12 grueling hours from Dhaka, by mini-van. The ride reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and the comparison is not too much of an exaggeration. Once there, however, I was pleased to find a charming beach town, similar to towns in Dhaka, but much less populated. There were fish markets everywhere selling all kinds of fish I had never seen before. There were also some beautiful Catholic churches. The white sandy beaches, however, is what captured my senses. The sand was powder soft and seemed endless in each direction. The water was warm to the touch and the waves rough, but in a playful kind of way. There were also vendor's selling all kinds of products and services on the beach as well, such coconuts, shell jewelry, horse rides, jet ski's, and even children offering to sing songs for a few taka. Bangladesh is relatively conservative society, so bathing suits are not a common sight, most people being at least in shorts and a shirt, even in the water. The locals claim that the sunsets in Bangladesh are like no other in the world. And after watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean for the first time, its difficult to disagree.
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