Valley of Flowers At Kas Lake

At about half hour's drive from Satara city is the beautiful Kas Lake. The landscape is arguably similar to what you would see in Mahabaleshwar or several other spots along the Sahyadris in Maharashtra. However, a special attraction and a totally unique one about the Kas plateau is its Valley of Flowers. Wild flowers blossom by the millions for a very short time very year - around August end to October on this 5 km stretch of flat land. And the sight is an absolute heaven on earth.

We left Pune early in the morning; a leisurely drive along with a brief breakfast halt on NH-4 took us some 3 hours. As we neared the Kas plateau, we could see plenty of beautiful spots and a whole lot of yellow (Sonaki) flowers. You need to continue along the road until about 5 kms before the actual Kas Lake. The flowers start rather abruptly along a turn and you behold the mesmerizing landscape agape.

The flowers are hosted on short bushes about 6-8 inches tall. They are of various shapes, sizes and also colours. The place is a haven for butterflies and bees of various kinds. I think there could also be some potential for bird watching if you hit it very early in the morning. Apart from enjoying the flowers, you can relax in the true European style under some shady tree with a sandwich lunch, or even go down to the lake if the weather is good. Be sure you don't litter around and spoil the sanctity of the place.

The valley is so far quite clean and a Forest department officer was seen doing the rounds, urging people to keep off the flower beds and park in the right lanes. Thankfully there are still no wada paav or bhutta vendors and therefore only true nature lovers seen along. Visit before that changes! A place not to be missed.

Portico restaurant at Sayaji - Good Buffet

We'd planned to go to Barbeque Nation at Sayaji (Wakad) to celebrate my sister's birthday. But we had a rather disappointing experience. The terrace restaurant was really cold and seating terribly cramped. The decor (that looked a bit hotch-potch what with the overal ambience like Puran da Dhaba at Pride, but with Maharashtrian Warli art splayed on the terrace sides, and Ghazal music on) was nothing like BBQ Nation at Kalyaninagar. Our family was offered a table right next to the bar. To add to that and the biting cold winds, we actually had rain water splashing on to us. Obviously it was impossible to spend a couple of hours like that and we walked out.

Back to the lobby, we decided to try the dinner buffet at Portico restaurant on the ground floor. We got a table in about ten minutes even though they claimed to be full and were even served lemonade while we waited in the lobby. The seating was tad uncomfortable, since the table and seats could not be moved and therefore us short people had to lean forward to eat.

Anyway that apart, the buffet was quite good though there was nothing really that was extra-ordinary. Yet it was attractive fare, well prepared and well laid out. Starters - both veg and non-veg - were tasty. The 'multi-cuisine' claim was rather far-fetched as there wasn't much global stuff apart from the usual Chinese and Italian. The desserts were varied and yummy.

Service was satisfactory and quick. You didn't have to wait with a plate full of main course for the bread basket to arrive, nor did you have to signal to get your glass of water refilled. The staff seemed to be used to the large crowds and were managing well.

For the price (425+4% tax) I thought the buffet was worth it. However, the drinks that the men ordered proved to be exorbitantly priced. The beer actually came with two lime wedges (?!?).

To quote my Dad's favorite saying - Dane Dane pe Likha hai, Khane wala ka Naam... Portico was meant to host our dinner last night. Meanwhile, I doubt I'll go back to try BBQ at Sayaji.