Dead cows and Sebastian too!
Our last day in Cox’s Bazaar we were determined to make it to Mermaid Eco-Resort. Our bus back to Chittagong didn’t depart until 9pm, so we had a lot of time to kill. We figured we should check out a few places around town, and then try to spend as much time as possible at the resort.
First we visited the Burmese Market via bicycle rickshaw. Unfortunately, most of the stalls were closed. The ones that were open sold the same bangles and scarfs you can buy in several countries… so it was a pretty quick stop. Then we stopped into a Buddhist monastery which I think was Aggmeda Khyang. That consisted of a large teak building we were not allowed to take pictures of, getting major side-eye from a monk, and being asked for a donation. You could probably skip it.
The market and the monastery were a bit lackluster, but don’t worry because the drive itself was quite memorable. Our last day in Cox’s Bazaar coincided with the actual Eid holiday, the day the animals are slaughtered. We saw plenty of dead cows. Some were slaughtered in a field, others in the road. Some were already chopped to bits by the time we passed, others were just getting started. The cow is divided into thirds to share with immediate family, friends and relatives, and the poor. All day long people were walking along the road holding clear plastic bags containing cow parts. Some were making deliveries, others were bringing their meaty gift home. It was an interesting religious ritual to observe, but I think I’ve seen enough.
Finally, we made it to the Mermaid Eco-Resort after a quick stop at a “waterfall”. Turns out the reason it was so hard to find is that it’s about 20 kilometers down the beach. We were only off by about 15km.
We immediately booked a boat ride for later in the afternoon and relaxed in their cafe. We didn’t realize that the boat ride was actually just transport to a private beach where you are left for several hours. We weren’t really interested in that (you’d have to see the beaches) so instead we just took a quick ride out and back.
The island was covered with these little red crabs exactly like The Little Mermaid. Do you know how badly I wanted to sing “Under the Sea?” They were pretty cute and super fast!
Photo by Molly
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the resort relaxing and snacking.
xo, jill
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