This granny has her sights set on 100.
A 66-year-old grandmother who has already biked solo through 12 countries — across three continents — has a lofty goal of traveling to 100 in total throughout the world.
Li Dongju of Zhengzhou, China, has roamed Southeast Asia, Europe and Oceania, touring countries like Cambodia, France and Australia.
“My goal is to visit at least 100 countries,” she told CNN Travel.
“Travel is like a drug. Once you taste it, you just can’t stop.”
Her travels are not always easy.
Since she only speaks Mandarin, she employs the use of translation apps in order to communicate with locals.
She is also on a tight budget, so for lodging has camped in parks, gas stations and even cemeteries, and stayed at the homes of good Samaritans she’s met along the way.
The retiree, who is part of a “silver travelers” group in China, started the pastime in 2013, after getting divorced and falling into a depression.
“Before cycling, I was heavily dependent on others … and felt like a frog in a well,” Dongju told the outlet.
“Now, I’m a wild wolf — free, fearless and independent.”
At the time, a group of cyclists whizzed past her one day, sparking “a surge of envy,” which led Dongju to purchase a bicycle helmet. Her son then bought her a folding mountain bike.
The first long trip she wanted to take was to Tibet, but she only had $23.50 to her name.
Since she was laid off from her job at a textile factory in 2002, Dongju has been living on her pension, which is $414 a month.
To earn extra cash, she spent a year working as a house cleaner, and saved up enough to embark on the journey to Southeast Asia with two seasoned cyclists she met online.
Dongju hit a snafu a week after their trip began, when she got separated from them in Vietnam.
Luckily, she befriended a local cyclist who spoke her language, and she was able to get home safely.
Undeterred, Dongju then planned a second trip, pedaling through 20 Chinese cities with her poodle Xili, who died in 2023.
She even made stops during her travels to take on cleaning gigs at places like spas and hotels in order to raise money to continue her expedition.
Two years later, she returned to Southeast Asia on her bike, accompanied by two elderly cycling friends.
After three weeks, the two went back home, so Dongju completed the 70-day trip, through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, alone.
Dongju’s other impressive accomplishments include biking through six European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Her trip to New Zealand was halted early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and she hasn’t resumed her travels on bike just yet.
Rest assured, she is in the midst of “doing her homework” for an upcoming jaunt from Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates.
