At the age of 56, this Chinese grandma travels the world by bike

At the age of 56, this Chinese grandma travels the world by bike

In their late 50s and early 60s, Li Dongju began to travel solo and thus interact with people who had a third of their age. Despite her late beginning, the now 66-year-old grandmother from Zhenghou in the central province of Henan, China, has now traveled by bike in 12 countries alone.

adventure on two wheels

li has taken its bike tours through Southeast Asia, Europe and Oceania and visited countries such as Cambodia, France and Australia. Since she only speaks mandarin, she was dependent on translation apps to communicate with locals. With a narrow budget, she camped in parks, petrol stations and even in cemeteries. However, they invited many friendly locals to their homes.

a life changed by cycling

The adventures of Li were stopped by the Covid 19 pandemic in early 2022. She describes her cycling experiences as: "Life -changing." Li is convinced that traveling healed her ten -year depression, which followed after her divorce in 2005. "Before cycling, I was heavily dependent on others ... and felt like a frog in a fountain," she said. "Now I'm a wild wolf - free, fearless and independent."

The way to independence

Li became aware of cycling in 2013 when a group rushed past her excellently equipped cyclists. The positive mood of the group aroused a "strong feeling of jealousy" in Li because it felt very depressed during this time. Since her dismissal from a state textile factory in 2002, the pensioner has lived from her pension, which is currently 3,000 yuan (approx. $ 414) per month.

With little money, she was initially on the back burner and only bought a bicycle helmet. Her son later gave her a foldable mountain bike that cost about 1,000 yuan (approx. 138 USD). Although she dreamed of cycling into the Tibet, this seemed impossible because she only had 170 yuan (approx. USD 23.50). After a year as a domestic help, she had finally saved enough to join two experienced cyclists that she had met online.

The challenges of travel

The poorly equipped beginner-with just a simple smartphone and a entry-level mountain bike-lost her travel companions in Vietnam after a week and found herself in a foreign country alone. Fortunately, she met a Chinese -speaking cyclist who helped her get home.

Despite this chaotic experience, Li could not be discouraged and decided to take further bike tours in China to become safer in the saddle. In 2015 she cycled through 20 Chinese cities, from Southeast-Hainan to the far western Xinjiang, accompanied by her poodle Xili, who was sitting in her bicycle basket. Unfortunately, Xili 2023 died at the age of 11.

growth of the "silver travelers"

Li managed to continue to finance her trips by accepting occasional jobs, such as cleaning in a spa or dishwasher in a luxury hotel. Two years later, at the age of 59, she was ready to visit Southeast Asia again- now equipped with a smartphone that was equipped with translation and card apps, a comprehensive travel schedule and two older bicycle friends that she had met online.

After about three weeks, their two companions wanted to give up and return home, but Li decided to continue their trip alone and slowly cycle through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Li and their two bike comrades are part of a growing group of "silver travelers" in China, where the population ages alarming. According to the Dai, the head of the China Tourism Academy, many older Chinese now decide to travel abroad and combine travel with a stay abroad.

an unforgettable return

overall spent about 70 days in the four countries and returned with thousands of souvenir photos and self -confidence to explore new goals. Already in 2019 she was ready for the next challenge and set off to cycle through six European countries. Over a period of 66 days, she met an older hiker in Croatia, held conversations with bartenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Google Translate and followed local grandmothers in France to get discount baguettes in supermarkets.

In November she flew to Australia, where the country was hit by the worst forest fires in its history at that time. On her journey along the Pacific Highway, she noticed smoke and informed the police with a video, causing her to prevent a larger fire. "I was so proud of myself," said Li. "I had the feeling that I contributed a little to help in Australia." We continued to New Zealand before returning home in March 2020 when the Covid pandemic spread. At that time, Li noticed that she had discontinued her antidepressants.

The power of friendliness

Li believes that their adventures have healed their depression. However, not everyone believes that travel is a replacement for medication. Dr. Zhang Lixia from a psychiatric hospital in Li’s Heimatstadt Zhengzhou points out that it is crucial to follow the advice of doctors and to make changes in treatment or medication under professional supervision.

Despite the challenges that her trips brought with her - in Australia she lost her backpack with her entire wheel accessories and had to start over - says Li that she had more positive than negative experiences. On a hot day in Australia, a couple stopped in a motorhome to offer her a large bottle of ice -cold water, a hamburger and some pomegranates. On another hot evening, just before Li wanted to open her tent in a park, a couple - both enthusiastic cyclists who have ever been to China - invited them to spend the night with them.

"Every time I see her (photo), the tears come to me," said Li, the Chinese buttons brings with him, which she distributes as a thank you to those who helped her on her travels. Three years have passed since Li's trips were abruptly stopped by the Covid pandemic. Now the grandmother is preparing for a planned journey from Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates. "My goal is to visit at least 100 countries," she said. "Travel is like a drug. As soon as you sniffed, you can't stop."