New Year's Eve was pretty amazing and very different from any other New Years celebration we've ever had.
After a day of relaxing in the sun and researching where we are going to stay when we leave our accommodation on the 2nd! we met our Muswell Hill friends on the beach to get a boat to take us on to another beach further down, about twenty minutes away.
So 7 of us, a pushchair and three fishermen are out in this little wooden boat heading to patnem- it cost around £20 for all of us and we got to watch the sun starting to set and even saw a dolphin!
Violet was ecstatic as she loves boats ever since France, when we went on a pedalow and our recent boat ride to watch the Dolphins wasn't enough as she said "more!" immediately when the boat trip was over. Just the other day she saw some people getting on a boat and she ran off and sulked because I wouldn't let her join them! Stood there looking longingly softly saying "boaaaaaaat, boaaaaaat" with arms outstretched for about five minutes. She's so dramatic haha
Anyhow, so sun set, dolphin, happy child and lots of singing row row row your boat and we finally arrive on this new beach that we haven't ventured too before. We are meeting some people that the Muswell hill guys kinda know whilst going to this new beach which is supposedly more lively then our quiet little Agonda and less crazy and smaller then palolem.
On arrival first impressions are good, the beach seems fairly lively, small but with various shacks bunched together, there was a circle of people doing yoga around some candles and flower garlands, adults and kids alike doing poses etc. Had we had a few cocktails we may have joined in!
Then the most amazing thing happened, the sky started turning the most beautiful colours- I know it all sounds a tad hippy but I swear even D was majorly impressed by the sky and the colours that it was turning, it had wisps of cloud and a weird haze which created little paths of lights. Honestly we weren't drunk it was a real once in a life time thing and our friends said it seemed like the northern lights which was so true. I will add some UNFILTERED photos to the blog and you can all take a look. The photos don't do it justice but will give you some idea.
Anyhow, after a zillion photos were taken and we stood around for ages just watching, we then walked down the beach where all the tables were laid out with candles across the sand. We found our reserved table and met the friends. It wasn't long before we were just one big table of north London mums and dads, so weird- all that way to India and we are surrounded by people from archway and Holloway and Muswell hill and Palmers Green.
We drank cocktails and ate fish from banana leafs, there were a couple of Djs playing and lots of fireworks going off throughout the evening. One numpty let off a bunch of fire crackers right next to our table which is surrounded by other tables of families with kids etc, of course I was fuming! Violet is asleep and strapped in her buggy wrapped in a sarong... My mind starts going over time of the things that could happen and also reminds me of the need to take anger management lessons.
You automatically assume it's some teenage boy but no it's a 50+ year old British man! What an absolute t*%*t.
It also reminded me how there were no obvious health and safety rules and everyone was just letting off boxes of fireworks and lanterns anywhere the contrast to the uk is actually quite funny sometimes.
Anyhow, as the night goes on everyone is getting more and more drunk- standard! the kids are off and the weed comes out (not for us mum- my brain cells are already damaged!) there were people with illuminous bows and bangles, dancing on the sand, dancing in the shacks on the tables etc! A real fun vibe and some good tunes. The toilets however are quite disgusting, d finds himself in a cubicle/outhouse with just a whole in the ground and I found myself there later when it was so full of weed smoke that I think I got passively high!
Amongst the music dancing and fireworks Violet somehow went to sleep but woke up at around 11.50 when some drunken girl banged into her pushchair, I wasn't there but D really wasn't too pleased and I thought maybe we should all check in for a family session at the anger management class the way d was cursing- poor girl must have got a mouth full! Haha
Although it sounds like a wild affair it was still very much a family do, there were so many children of all ages and aside from the fireworks it seemed like a really safe place.
We left the beach about 2.30am, Violet had enjoyed the fireworks "Ahhh a boom and a bang!" and done some dancing but never leaving our arms, the fireworks really made her nervous but she still liked them.
It was a little manic out on the streets and with no cabs around we had to get a dodgy rickshaw, this one was a total rust bucket and I seriously had the wind in my hair as it had no window on my side... 20minutes later and we've dodged herds of cows in the road and gone through two police stop checks where they shone their torches straight at us and then we are finally home.
A great night and a good start to 2016, it's weird to know that it's still 2015 in the uk and you guys haven't celebrated the new year in yet!
May 2016 bring us all good health, love and happiness and if we can have lots of money too then that would really be the cherry on the cake!

We woke on New Year's Day feeling tired, I scrolled through Facebook messages to see how you drunken lot were getting on with your celebrations and I come across an article about a solar furnace that meant that the northern lights could well be seen much further afield on New Year's Eve, it said across the USA but depended upon severity of storm.... It's a long shot but I can't help but think that this may be related to the sky we saw. A natural light display! We enjoy our last day in Agonda by having breakfast at a shack called dunhill which was nice and then just chilling around the resort. The Muswell Hill lot left that night which was a little sad, another couple we had been chatting to were leaving too so we had a drink with them and exchanged numbers.... Can't believe this holiday is coming to an end! We have five days left and we are off to a 5* star resort called Lalit, we leave Agonda feeling a little depressed really- it's been amazing and we would definitely return again. It's so chilled and calm and you kind of get used to doing nothing and relaxing. The staff at Agonda White sands have been really nice and so good with Violet. If your thinking of a holiday to Goa then Agonda White sands needs to be on your list! Or if you want to push the boat out then go for Agonda villas....
Bye Agonda! We miss you! Sob sob