Goa, Betalbatim. Sunday 31 December. Day 1

We flew from Chennai to Goa with Spice Jet, flight time 1.5 hours, cost of a return flight £50. It was a good service. From the airport we took a taxi to our accommodation in Betalbatim situated 19 km from the airport. There is no Uber or Ola in Goa, the taxi drivers union has been fighting hard not to allow them in Goa so they can charge people more money. There is a petition to the government initiated by both locals and visitors who want Uber and Ola here. The taxi we took cost 670 rupees so £8. With Uber it would be half the price but the point is that it is not only saving. With Uber we could travel easily everywhere, it's such a great service and hassle-free.
Our accommodation is amazing. Big room, big kitchen that we will not be using really, big bathroom and a big balcony. Everything is big and clean. The only downside is a 25-minute walk to the beach but it’s ok for me, it's a very pleasant walk. I am used to walking a lot but Fausto complaints a bit. There is an amazing restaurant 10-minute walk from the accommodation called Kingslee, serving wonderful Indian food.

The beach is very nice, long with very fine sand. We had a swim in the evening, then we went back to the apartment, then we went for a nice meal to Kingslee again, and then to the beach to see the fireworks and to celebrate the New Year with a melon and papaya juice.
To be honest I almost gave up on celebrating, I am suffering from the jet-lag so I suggested that we go to bed early. Luckily Fausto insisted on going to the beach for midnight.
The New Year celebrations were quiet because the beach is quiet, which was perfect for us. We came back to the apartment at 2 am and we slept for 10 hours.
In the pictures: last swim of 2017 at the sunset, delicious dinner and the beach celebrations.