~story by Mikey Leung~

Full Moon Beach Parties in Bangladesh? Just last year, most travellers wouldn’t have dreamed of it.

But the reality is that they are now a monthly occurrence, drawing anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people to the beachside at Cox’s Bazaar every month.

The parties are an initiative of Alien Shohagh and Samiha Alam Bristy–the co-owning couple who have created Mermaid Cafe—a place that offers something quite different from the mass tourism experience offered by the rest of the venues at Cox’s.

As Bristy reports about the last party on 19 June:

The concept of a Full Moon party on the beach has been a long time practice for the small yet elegant Mermaid Cafe, Cox’s Bazar. Mermaid Cafe started its journey almost three years back and has been like a hidden paradise on the not-so-happening Cox’s Bazaar scene.

Situated right on the Sugandha Beach, the cafe lures its guests with lamps guiding the way. Once reaching the destination one enters an entirely new world. With party music blaring in the background it is sure to make anyone get up and dance with their toes dug deep in sand. The mouth-watering smell of baked lobster and organic rice is enough to get one seated on the wooden but comfortable unique chairs.

Freshly squeezed fruit juices show that there is no place for synthetic, sugar-filled drinks. Sitting under the thatched roof of the cafe with the full moon peeking from behind the clouds makes one forget about all the worries of life. As the night progresses the crowd increases with more people on the dance floor or more appropriately ‘sand’ floor. People all around having fun beside the sea is a good way to show that there is now a place in Cox’s Bazaar were you can actually feel like you’re at a party well out of the Gulshan bubble.

The next full moon dates for 2008:

• 2008 Jul 18 Fri
• 2008 Aug 16 Sat
• 2008 Sep 15 Mon
• 2008 Oct 14 Tue
• 2008 Nov 13 Thu
• 2008 Dec 12 Fri

As of 24 June, United Airways is on the only operator flying to Cox’s Bazaar during the low season. Once the high season resumes in September, regular service to Cox’s should begin again.

Getting there and away:

By Bus
For bus service to Cox’s, Green Line, Shohagh, Silk Line and Soudia/S Alam offer direct AC services from Dhaka and Chittagong. The journey takes 10-12 hours from Dhaka and another five from Chittagong.

By Air

• United Airways Bangladesh (*recommended)
• Best Air (aka Best Aviation)
• Royal Bengal Airlines
• GMG Airlines
• Biman Bangladesh