Just 500 metres from the shoreline, a group of men work to create a line of rope. In Cox’s Bazar, rope makers weave discarded fishing lines and nets into industrial-grade rope. Traditionally, Bangladeshi rope is made from jute and coconut coir, and much of the craft remains small-scale. I came across this team and trained my camera on the end of the production line, but the rest stretched away through trees, wooden scaffolding, sand pits and a laid-back supervisor. The rope master ran a tight operation and did not seem to mind my visit in late 2020. My office was just a couple of kilometres down the beach.