The Western Ghats in Knoxville!

THE kids had chosen Knoxville to live in and put down roots because it reminded them of the Western Ghats and Goa.

- MARIANNE DE NAZARETH

Not the beaches of Goa of course, but the lush greenery of the Ghats which they have in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Being doctors, they could have chosen the richer states, but the music of the state too runs in their Goan blood and needs to be ratcheted up every weekend, which is possible mainly in music loving Tennessee, with its laid back cafe’s serving the best BBQ in the US.

So, a cabin in the smoky mountains was where we headed to on my first weekend there. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The sprawling landscape encompasses lush forests and an abundance of wildflowers that bloom year-round. Streams, rivers and waterfalls appear along hiking routes that include a segment of the Appalachian Trail. An observation tower tops Clingmans Dome, the highest peak, offers scenic views of the mist-covered mountains, which is why they are called ‘Smoky’. And ofcourse a wondrous diversity of flora and fauna which the western Ghats are famous the world over too.

Ridge upon ridge of forest covers the border between North Carolina and Tennessee and our weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in April could not have been at a better time. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.