You take the girl out of the sea but not the sea out of the girl ❗❗

I grew up in Chittagong, and I used to always reminisce about the eccentric beauty of the ocean. I really missed Cox's Bazaar after we moved to Dhaka. After HSC, Zaima suddenly came up and told me, "Dost, chol Cox's Bazaar jai!" and brought waves of flashbacks onto my mind. Indeed, waves. I tried to convince the others.Rokaiya, true to her glam girl status, was hesitant as always. "But what about my skin!?" she whined. It took a solid few hours of expert-level emotional blackmail to finally get her on board!It was fairly easy to convince my parents. As we planned for the trip, I remembered all the times we went to Cox's Bazaar. I always collected a few seashells from the beach and held them like they were the most precious thing in the world, only to lose them when I fell asleep in the hotel. But the most vivid memory I had was not of seashells, nor the ocean. It was the sunset.

 

 

The beautiful sunset had mesmerized me until the sun vanished. Every pink and orange sky reminded me of that beautiful day. Bags packed. Tickets ready. We girls set out for our "Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara" trip. Let's go! Apart from Rokaiya whining about forgetting her sunscreen, the journey was pretty nice. I popped on my headphones and cranked up "Chikni Chameli"—and before you judge, let me just say my playlist has range, okay? From Fein to Munni Badnam, I’ve got it all! But honestly, I was blasting this one because the loud beats are the only thing that keep me awake, and I wasn’t about to miss a single moment of this trip!The real fun, however, began once we reached Cox's Bazaar. I was really tired when we got out of the bus, but the beautiful waves and the energetic aura of the place made my energy bar go full.

 I tossed my bags in the hotel room. Just as I was about to run for the beach, mother dear, as usual paranoid, stopped me. “Panir beshi bhitore jaish na,” she said. Bad vibes, maybe, but as the mature individual I occasionally pretend to be (yes, I have my moments), I got where she was coming from—especially since she knew I had a tiny fear of deep water! Regardless, Ramiya and I raced to the beach. We booked a sun lounger, left my tote bag there, and trotted onto the seashore to soak my legs. That nostalgic feeling, so good! As soon as I started enjoying the water splashing onto my legs, Ramiya came with her phone, asking me to take some Instagrammable pics.Of course, being the amazing friend that I am, I took the most jaw-dropping pictures of her—like, seriously, Instagram gold—and guess what? She NEVER posted them! Typical!Well, Ramiya snapped some pictures of me too, and given her stellar track record as a terrible photographer, I was genuinely shocked they didn’t turn out half bad!

 

 

The time went by with our random snapping and splashing water onto each other. It was surreal. At night, we were completely starving. Zaima’s dad decided to treat us at Shalik. For the first time ever, I ordered fish—Rupchanda, to be precise. My mom practically dropped her spoon and exclaimed, “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?” Surprisingly, the taste wasn’t half bad! Maybe I’m evolving into a fish connoisseur! The following day, we decided to set off for Himchori. The climb made me realize I need to exercise. But the view from above was just breathtaking. Once we got downhill, Simran bought a coconut for me. The coco water felt like heaven. We decided to try out the famous Panshi, and I noticed kalabhuna on the menu. Oh boy, did I miss kalabhuna. Others seemed a bit weirded out to see me ordering beef in Cox’s Bazaar, but who am I to care? I’m just here for the tasty meat, not the stares!On the last day, we thought of relaxing. So, we wandered around the beach for a while and spent the rest of the day in the hotel pool. And, of course, I witnessed both the sunrise and the sunset I so love. The entire trip was so fun and so full of memories. Sure, the photos might be on Insta, but the memories will be in our hearts forever—kind of like that last slice of pizza no one wants to claim! We friends are heading off on our own adventures now; I guess this trip was our "End of Beginning." Cue the dramatic music and slow-motion goodbyes! <3