Sid had been telling me for some time about a night drive and camping at Lion's Point near Lonavla/Amby Valley.Such was his enthusiasm for this trip,that he roped in two more of his friends - Mr Aidnani(an online industry specialist) and Mr A(a scriptwriter for films-What a job,eh?).The trip lasted less than 24 hours,but it was really eventful.
Vada pao at Vashi,Sector 6 market and Dinner at Bhaskar Tarachandwala:Please,please try out the
Vada Pao at Sector 6 market in
Vashi,New
Mumbai.It's a perfect amalgamation on hot piping
Aaloo mix within a crispy layer of
Besan.I can
guarantee that you wont stop at one piece.Once you have had this snack,please go forward and have
sumptuous dinner at
Bhaskar Tarachandwala - a veg joint in
Vashi with a
guaranteed waiting time of half an hour.Nevertheless,once you have the food,all waiting regrets are forgotten.One must try the "Desi Ghee Dal Fry" and the "Hot
Chapati's",with Butter Milk as a digestive accompaniment.
Lions Point @ Lonavla and the numerous fireflies :While you may have driven many times to
Lonavla,have you ever noticed in the night carefully how the trees blink like a fully decorative Christmas Tree?Hundreds of fireflies blink within a single tree and it's a sight to behold.

Finally we reached Lion's Point,parked Linda(my beloved car) just a few feet from the drop zone and savoured the cold breeze.

Mr
Aidnani was keen to light a fire from dry twigs and make some hot tea and Maggi.After numerous failed efforts(Due to the gusty wind) the determined bugger actually
succeeded.As you can see in the photo,Mr
Aidnani is all concentration.

The morning brings with itself a new hope,in spite of the tiredness.None of us had slept all night,but we were raring to go...explore further.Moreover,the locals at Lions Point make lovely
pakoras for you along with tea in the morning.

So you basically sit in a plastic chair handed out by the locals,look out at the open horizon,with your tea in hand,sipping it gratefully while taking a crunchy bite of the
Pakodas kept aside.
Tung Fort Road:Tung Fort is about 13
km's from the Amby Valley road.The road is really bad in the end,so one needs to drive cautiously.The initial road though is a sight for sore eyes,with bends and curves in between the lush greens awing you all the while.
Tung Fort was built before 1600 AD. It was built by the
Adil Shahi dynasty but was captured by
Shivaji. It is small, not being able to hold more than 200 troops at a time. As such, it would not have been able to defend itself on its own for a long time. Its shape and structure suggests that its main function was as a watchtower guarding the road to
Pune city. During invasion, it served to provide a temporary distraction for invaders. Thus, the major forts of
Visapur and
Lohagad would have time to ready themselves (to meet the invading army).


The climb to the 2000 Ft high fort is not easy and is very steep.We thought about it for a while but finally gave up,because all of us were without any sleep.Nevertheless,watching the Fort from below was also an imposing sight.
Well,that's it!I
don't know where I am going next,but one things for sure...THIS WANDERLUST WONT STOP!