A Lazy Drive to Kaas Plateau

Recently on an online forum, I was following a discussion about locations around Pune for long drive and nature photography. Seeing the rave reviews Kaas plateau was getting, I was tempted. Only recently I had done the Nizampur-Pachad ride and time was ripe for a long cosy drive. Besides, Kaas looked very safe from journey point of view.

My week-long leave was ending on Friday, and postponement of Ayodhya verdict meant there was no reason to hold back the plan. So on Friday, 24th September, I took my photography gear and left for Kaas.

This time, I wasn't eager to do high speeds. I was more looking for lazing around on the drive, and enjoy the morning drive. So after leaving Pune via Chandani Chowk -> Bypass route, in an hour I reached the Khambataki Ghaat section. This is one ghaat which can get very boring to drive sometimes, especially if you are driving a car. The road is only enough for 2 vehicles at a time, and the trucks and buses are very intent on overtaking each other on the slopes, choking everybody behind! First - the slopes are daunting, and second - these trucks and buses are usually overloaded and don't have enough power left to go for an overtake. So this overtaking ordeal ultimately ends up looking as if those big vehicles are making slow love to each other, with each one of them blaming the other for lacking agility due to size! hmmmmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmmMMmm ... (silence. catch breath) .... HMMMMMMMMmmMMMMM ... HHHOINNGGGG .... (silence again) .... hmmmmMMMmmmmMMMMM ... You can only pray they have a quick orgasm and be done with this drama sooner.

I took the route to Satara, which goes from under NH4, after Bhuinj; rather than the usual route which takes right-turn on NH4 itself. A local guy whom I gave lift, guided me through some narrow lanes and roads and finally we came at the Raajwada Bus Stop - a busy chowk with the Raajdhani Palace tower (probably a hotel) in front. From there, you keep to the left and climb the slope in front. When the slope ends, take a right, and then an immediate left. Within 200-300 meters, you notice the tunnel, from where you take right just before the tunnel. That's it. Kaas is around 15kms from there. This drive is nice, with good road, and views.

I reached Kaas in half an hour, and to my surprise, the flowers and plateau turned out to be a bummer. The flowers are teeny-tiny ones on 10cm saplings. Violet, yellow, white is all we have there. Only thing is they are there in large numbers, so due to density, the green shade is hidden behind these yellow, white and violet shades. That's it. There is nothing more to it. If at all you are going, this is all you are going to find there. Teeny tiny flowers; rather than big pleasant flowers. So set your expectations correctly to avoid the kind of disappointment many people (including me) had there. Seeing my DSLR mounted on a tripod, many of the people there felt I was a pro(!) snapping up photos for some newspaper. Many a ladies asked me forthrightly - "कुठल्या पेपरसाठी फोटो काढताय का? पेपरमधे ही फुलं इतकी मोठी कशी दिसतात? लोकांचा भ्रमनिरास होतो इथं येउन ही छोटी फुलं बघून." (are you taking these photos for some newspaper? how do these flowers look so big in the newspapers? it's disappointing to see these tiny flowers when we come here looking for big pleasant ones as shows in the papers.) What would I tell them when I myself was feeling a bit disappointed. I just briefly explaned them how different lenses are used to blur the backgrounds and achive magnifications.

After doing some photography there, I decided to move on little further to Bamnoli, which I had found to be very scenic couple of years ago, during our trek to Vasota fort. This drive was also quite pleasant, especially because we enter the Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary little distance after Kaas and the road winds through dense mini-forests. By that time, the atmostphere had dramatically changed from glaring-sun to heavy showers in a matter of half an hour! Drive till Bamnoli was very good and pleasant due to all these factors.

Had a tasty and hence sumptious lunch in Bamnoli. Did some photo-session after the showers were reduced to light drizzles; and left looking for a road to Tapola. My plan was to go to Tapola enjoying the scenic drive, then onwards to Mahabaleshwar and then to Pune via NH4. But that was not to be. The road was already bad, and it prograssively went on getting worse. After 5-6kms, there came a situation when I lost confidence in me making it to Tapola in reasonable time and with all tyres intact. If something was to happen to my car in that area, even a towing jeep would have refused to go bring my car from there. That was the only time I missed my bike dearly. When you want to roam around in docile conditions, like a highway or a good road, car is a perfect vehicle. But when the conditions turn hostile, and you still have the desire to push forward, there cant be anything better than a powerful bike. In such hostile conditions, a car becomes a liability, while a bike becomes an asset capable of rescuing you.

I dropped the plan to go any further. Somehow managed an about turn on that small road, and came back to Bamnoli -> Kaas -> Satara Tunnel -> Raajwada Bus Stop (Satara) -> NH4. Rains had lashed whole of Satara city and considerable part of NH4. So I kept my speed in check. But even in that situation I could see cars racing around, playing catchup with each other. Roads after rains make me very nervous, and I am extra-cautious while driving on wet surfaces. One mistake, one case of slight aquaplaning at high speed and you risk your time and organs, if not life. Dying will still relieve you from this world, but if you end up losing an organ like a hand or a leg, it can turn rest of your life from heaven into hell. There is only a thin line between daredevilry and foolhardiness. You are good as long as you appreciate this and take calculated risks.

I also had my share of being challenged for a race. There was this guy in a Maruti 800 (of all the cars!), flashing his beams and sounding his horn behind me, even though all the remaining three lanes were totally empty. I was doing around 80-90kmph, so it was not like I was choking the high-speed lane either. I waited for him to choose another lane, but he was probably on a high, so I gave up and switched to the middle lane. He came in parallel and revved hard couple of times. I guessed he was challenging me for a race. I neglected it. But if at all I had a chance to have a dialogue with him, I would have given him a real piece of my snob-mind - "Dude, you are overlooking some hard facts here. Read it again. It's a Palio. It races with a Honda City vtec, not with a Maruti 800. My car wont forgive me if I pitch her against an M800. I see you have got some fancy alloys there and that sound of free-flow-exhaust; probably an esteen engine too, given your audacity to challenge a 1.6 Palio. Good for you. But if there is a race, then let it be amongst equals - hold on till I bring my Apache!" Some neat शिष्टपणा!

I slowed down, and let him pass disappointed. Later on I saw him challenging a Chevy Optra/Cruz. So I gathered, the guy probably had a very painful breakup recently. Better to leave him alone. ;)

Reached home comfortably that evenining. Apart from some photographs, and a lazy long drive, there was not much to take away from this trip. I found Kaas to be grossly overrated. If you are going there only for the flowers, you are in for a major disappointment, unless you are kind of a 'plant-guy' who knows in and outs of plants and flowers, and can identify one from the other.

If you are going for a long drive, it's definitely worth a drive till Bamnoli. One can also do boating at Bamnoli. Though, one note of caution - September last week and October 1st/2nd week is the time when the flowers bloom in Kaas. To translate it in English, on these weekends, there will be lot of tourists visiting the area, and a lot of cars and vehicles on the road as a result. So choose your destination wisely, depending upon which day in the week you are going.