Summer in Sirsi

How often do you get a chance to witness Sunrise, Sunset, Moon rise and Moon set within just 24 hours? Perhaps, it was such a wonderful occasion during a road trip to Sirsi this summer. We started off our journey witnessing a breathtakingly beautiful Orange-Moon-Set. The orange moon dip very soon painted the beautiful colors of dawn followed by the sunrise. The flatter horizons towards the north gave a very different perspective to what was happening around. It was a musically colorful summer morning that set the right tune for the trip. And if one has to listen to varieties of mind blowing music, there is no choice but to travel with Ravee.

It does not take too long to realize that you are in the western-ghats region. Its just a matter of 3-4 hours drive from Bangalore towards north-west. At Haveri junction on the NH4, Swapna joined us from Mumbai and very soon, we were driving in the woods. When we start holding our necks up through the windows, we know we've entered the land of orchids. There's no joy in driving fast either. It has to be slow, like a walk; if not, you will miss all those wonders. We reached Ravee's home by 14:30, followed by a heavy scrumptious lunch and fun time with Ananya and her pets. We were to climb the small hillock near by to do some justice for the food we ate, but unfortunately, Ravee's brother drove us all the way up to the top of the hillock. 

The panoramic views from the top were absolutely spectacular and the habitat around was just great. We ate some fruits, witnessed some flora and had wonderful discussions. We could see the dense woods of western ghats all around us and the dusk was soon taking us over from the day into unimaginable evening colors. It was a double treat to witness the sunset followed by the gorgeous moon rise, bringing our day to a perfect closure. 

 

The next day we went to Muregaara falls to walk around the place.  We sighted many orchids and a lot of wild flora and fauna. For me it was absolutely a fun learning experience, that I was with my botany teacher and an orchid expert anyway! 

Cottonia peduncularis - Also known as Bee Orchid

Oberonia sp

Flowers of the tree Hopea ponga

Canscora diffusa

Pandanus sp

Vitex leucoxylon

Buds of Capparis rheedii

Male flower of Ochlandra Scriptoria (A bamboo species)

Gastrochilus sp

The last day of the trip we went around the beautiful Shivagange falls in Sirsi taluk. On the way we stopped at a lot of places to see the flora and took a lot of time to photograph some of them. By the time we reached the falls it was almost 14:00 and we had to climb down the steep valley for about 40 minutes to reach the waterfall. Waterfall was breathtaking and I was surprised to see so much water even during the summer. We witnessed a lot of fauna and huge Ficus trees on the way to the falls. I had not seen this place during my previous visit to Sirsi and hence it was all the more exciting for me. 

Green vine snake

Hump nosed pit viper 

Shivagange falls

Dendrobium crepidatum

Summer in Sirsi was absolutely fun and I learnt a great deal from Swapna and Ravee. Hopefully it will all be stored properly in my brain cells. Ananya and her pets were very entertaining, Ravee's place was magical and the food was scrumptious. Those discussions we had and the fun moments we spent reading books and reference materials were unforgettable. And wonderment never ends!

Zephyranthes candida

For more pictures visit my flickr set here.

Cheers!

Srik

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