Cox Bazar Beach, the longest in the world

When I entered Bangladesh, all Bangladeshi told me I had to go to Cox Bazar Beach which had "the best beach in the world". "You will also see the most beautiful sunset", the said. I believed them. Who better then the locals would know?

So I went from Comilla directly to Cox Bazar. The town has a large fishing community and a port. It is also an administrative center for this part of Bangladesh. You can't really go much further south, the Indian border is nearby but without possibilities to enter India here.

Local fishermen coming back at the back Cox Bazar

It is a 125 km long unbroken sandy beach and it is the main attraction in Cox Bazar (the name comes from an English officer Captain Cox who was the Superintendent of Palonki (today's Cox's Bazar) outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal following the British East India Company Act in 1773.

Road to the beach Cox Bazar

With the monsoon rains and the clouded skies, there was nothing much of a sunset but the town was pleasant though extremely chaotic. I didn't stay in the recommended Seagull Hotel which has a very nice location but has also a little up-market budget. Instead I found a little nice clean quest house not far from the beach.

The town itself is the usual mess of traffic, open air markets, Mosques and small restaurants. But it's not the town Cox Bazar you come for, it's the beach. That said, a look in town is always rewarding.

I walked in town and arrived at a junction. There were traffic lights but no one paid attention to these. Even two traffic police agents were standing there without a clue what to do with this mess. According to one of them this was typical in Bangladesh.

There are a few sights to visit in the vicinity. Most attractive is the Aggmeda Khyang, a nice Buddhist monastery.

On the way in or out you will pass Ramu. This village has a tradition of homemade cigars and nice craftwork. There are monasteries and pagodas containing images of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones.

Other places I visited in Bangladesh:

• Comilla
• Chittagong
• Dhaka
• Lalbagh Fort
• Sonargaon

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