Breakout

Here at Car India we habitually wander across the length and breadth of the country in search of beauty, history and adventure. This time we decided to explore a lesser known spot a lot closer to home

- Harket Suchde

PUNE IS AN AMAZING CITY TO live in; there can be no question about it. It has been my home town since I was but a bratty three-year-old, and, to quote Dickens, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Mostly the former, though, and one of the coolest things about this city is our close proximity to some great spots that you can go check out, and make short work of too, as long as you have the right car.

Well, I can say with some certainty that I had the car bit covered. One of the perks of working at Car India is the distinct possibility of commandeering a sweet ride whenever my inner wanderlust begins to surface. That was definitely the case as I had the key fob to a spankin’ new Hyundai Elantra, all decked out in a glorious ocean blue. It was the top-end one, too, which meant creature comforts were going to be packed to the hilt. Oh, this was going to be good.

I set out, my destination to begin with being the famous Kaas Plateau. Described as India’s very own mini-Switzerland, The Kaas Plateau is located a little past the town of Satara. I left Pune in the pitch dark, and by the time the sun’s first rays began to colour the horizon, I was already on NH 4, absolutely gunning the Elantra’s 1.6-litre turbo-diesel that spits out 128 horses and 260 Nm of torque. This, coupled with the Elantra's much-improved ride mean't the drive was abreeze. On reaching Satara, the roads became decidedly narrow, and the climb up to the Plateau was a little slower going because of this. I got there soon enough, though, and paid the entry fee (Rs 50 per person plus a little extra for camera and parking), and found myself at this famous spot. If you plan on visiting, either book your entry online the day before or get there really early as I did, because the forest department only lets in 3,000 vehicles a day to ensure that the flora isn’t adversely affected by pollution.