On Tuesday I had an unexpected day out with a couple of my Karen friends. They called me to say they had some spare time. So did I, and the weather was lovely, so I picked them up in Albany and took them out to hike the Indian Ladder Trail.
They were very thrilled to get out into the countryside, which they said looked just like Thailand (where they'd lived for years as refugees). They were excited to be able to see the Corning Tower from the escarpment - they live just a short walk from the tower, so it was almost like being able to see their own house from a completely new vantage point.
We also stopped at Thompson's Lake and took a walk by the water. In spite of my dedication to the cause of environmental education I have to admit that, for me, a walk in Nature is still a bit like a trip to a museum - lots of interesting things to see, but I don't necessarily know much about what I'm looking at. For my friends it was...well, apparently more like wandering through an endless buffet. During their years in the refugee camp they had to forage for food in the jungle, so they know their plants and what's good to eat. They were eyeing up the water snails, too. Now that they live in a city I think they really miss having access to a range of free dinner ingredients, there for the picking.
We had a very happy few hours together, enjoying the scenery and the sunshine on a perfect autumn day. I'm already wondering where we should go on our next trip...
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