She went on her first international trip at age 56. Now this Chinese grandma is exploring the world by bike kraken сайтIn her late 50s and early 60s, Li Dongju found herself solo traveling alongside people a third of her age. But despite her late start, she has now biked solo through 12 countries across three continents.The 66-year-old grandmother from Zhengzhou, in China’s central Henan province, has pedaled around Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania, visiting countries like Cambodia, France and Australia on her journeys.Speaking only Mandarin, she relied entirely on translation apps to communicate with locals. On a tight budget, she camped in parks, gas stations and even cemeteries, though she says many kind locals welcomed her into their homes.Li’s adventure was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2022. But she says that her cycling experiences have been “life changing.” Li believes that travel was what cured a decade-long depression that followed her divorce in 2005.“Before cycling, I was heavily dependent on others … and felt like a frog in a well,” she said. “Now, I’m a wild wolf — free, fearless and independent.”This photo shows the lounge carriage of a panda-themed tourist train at Anjing Railway Station in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, November 10, 2024.Related article