Wheely Happy Grandma
if you’re jealous of someone, they likely have something you want. Such was the case for Li Dongju, a 66-year-old grandmother from Zhengzhou, China. After being laid off from a state-owned textile factory in 2002, Li lives off her 3,000 yuan ($414) a month pension. Back in 2013, Li witnessed a group of cyclists flying past her and noticed a “surge of envy” within herself. 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.
But with the help of her son, who supported her dream of cycling, Li was able to purchase the necessary gear to hit the road—a life-changing decision. After years and trials, errors, and rookie mistakes, Li found herself traveling both solo and in groups with other cyclers, across various countries. 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. In fact, she and her two cycling companions call themselves the “silver travelers.” “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.”
Now, she has memories that will last a lifetime—including the time she met a couple of avid cyclists visiting China who invited her to stay at their home rather than pitching a tent for the night. “Every time I see her [photo], it brings tears to my eyes,” said Li. “My goal is to visit at least 100 countries,” Li told CNN. “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. Dongju then planned a second trip, pedaling through 20 Chinese cities with her poodle Xili.
Dongju completed the 70-day trip, through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, alone. In 2019, she peddled across six European countries where she met an elderly solo hiker in Croatia, used Google Translate to chat with bartenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even followed local grannies in France to find supermarket discounts.
Pedaling Puns
I yelled “COW!” at a woman on a bike, she flipped me off and then ran straight into the cow.
I tried!
Two nuns were riding their bikes together on their way to church one Sunday.
The first nun says to the second nun, “I’ve never come this way before”.
The second nun says, “Yeah, it’s the cobblestones.”
I keep getting hit by the same bike, at the same time and place, day after day…
It’s a vicious cycle.
A quote from the guy who invented the stationary exercise bike…
“My life is going nowhere.”
March 25th Birthdays
1982 – Jenny Slate, 1982 – Danica Patrick, 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, 1947 – Aretha Franklin
1928 – Jim, Lovell, 1947 – Elton John, 1979 – Lee Pace, 1982 – Sean Faris