Among these four women, the youngest is 53 years old and the oldest is 61. With limited English skills, no sense of direction, and each carrying 40 to 50 pounds of luggage, they boldly ventured into high-altitude regions and even traveled abroad.
Who says budget travel is only for young adventurers? Four grandmothers from Nanjing toured Tibet and several South Asian countries with just 1,500 yuan each. Who says pole dancing and cosmetic surgery are only for the young? Sun Fengqin from Nanjing not only became famous for her pole dancing but also dared to get plastic surgery to look younger... These vibrant seniors show us that life in old age can be so rich and full of energy.
Among these four women, the youngest is 53 years old and the oldest is 61. With limited English skills, no sense of direction, and each carrying 40 to 50 pounds of luggage, they boldly ventured into high-altitude regions and even traveled abroad—relying on a few maps, some basic spoken English, and all kinds of “animal language,” they explored Tibet, Nepal, and India. Despite traveling for over a month, these four grandmotherly budget travelers spent less than 1,500 yuan each. They asked for directions as they walked, ate as they went, and took photos along the way, feeling “tired but happy.” These past couple of days, the four “iron-willed grannies” from Nanjing have been gradually returning to the city. The first to arrive, Lu Jinpei, excitedly recounted their thrilling month-long adventure to reporters.
Clear division of labor: translators and accountants included
Lu Jinpei is the eldest of the four, at 61 years old, and this was her first time traveling abroad independently. In early August, when the “chief planner” Chen Caiping and Wang Ling brought up the travel plan to her, Lu Jinpei readily agreed. “Both of them are seasoned travelers, and I wanted to experience it with them.” The four seniors met online and bonded over their shared love for travel. They often browsed discussion forums on Xici Hutong such as “Nanjing Joy Club” and “Nanjing Sunset Red.” A few years ago, they became good friends and even traveled together to several places within China.
The original initiator of this “Western + South Asian Tour” was Chen Caiping, 60 years old. This grandmother is no ordinary traveler—since 2006, she has almost annually cycled across China with her husband. Wang Ling, 59, is regarded by netizens as a “master-level travel expert,” having visited destinations across the globe. As for why they invited Lu Jinpei, they had a plan in mind—Lu used to be an elementary school English teacher and had a solid foundation in the language, so they earnestly “invited” her to serve as the group’s translator. In addition, they enlisted Li Xiaoping, 53, who had just returned from a trip to four Southeast Asian countries, to act as the “strategist.” Wang Ling herself took on the role of accountant, managing the daily expenses. Chen Caiping prepared a detailed travel itinerary before departure, covering everything from attraction introductions and hotel bookings to where to take the bus and how to eat most cost-effectively. With the team assembled and everyone fulfilling their roles, the four boarded a train to Lhasa on August 18. Upon first arriving in the Tibetan region, altitude sickness was the biggest challenge for the seniors—some suffered from headaches, others vomited. Fortunately, they were in good health and adapted within two days. Over the following week, they visited famous Tibetan attractions such as the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Ramoche Temple. After obtaining their visas at Lhasa’s Norbulingka, they set off for Nepal.
A month of budget travel, costing just 1,500 yuan
Since they decided on a “budget trip,” they had to spend carefully. Each of the four only prepared 1,500 yuan as their “activity fund,” which had to cover all food, lodging, and transportation expenses in Tibet and South Asia. Though hard to believe, they actually managed it. “No secret—just do everything ourselves.”
When they reached the Sino-Nepal border town of Zhangmu and prepared to go to Kathmandu, other backpackers paid 30–40 yuan per person to hire a jeep. But the four grandmothers found the bus station they had looked up in advance and each paid less than 2 yuan to ride the bus.
The bus drove from 11 a.m. until 7 or 8 p.m., climbing over one mountain after another. At every stop, more passengers got on, and when the bus became too crowded, people simply climbed onto the roof. “The smell inside the bus...” Lu Jinpei wrinkled her nose. “A lot of people were dirty and barefoot, sticking their feet right in front of me.” But what scared her the most were the cliffs outside the windows. “Every time the bus turned a corner, I broke out in a sweat.”
To save on meals, the four brought plenty of “rations” before leaving home—rice, instant noodles, sesame oil, pickled vegetables, duck eggs, wood ear mushrooms. Whenever possible, they cooked their own meals at the guesthouses. Additionally, since they needed cold-weather clothing for the plateau and summer clothes for South Asia, each person packed two large suitcases, weighing at least 40 to 50 pounds. Every time they rushed to catch trains or buses, or climbed up and down overpasses, the elderly women had to carry both suitcases. “Wang Ling was carrying a huge bag—it was so heavy. When she finally put it down, there were blood marks on her back.”
The temperatures in Nepal and India were both above 30°C, and with the added weight of their luggage, everyone was drenched in sweat every day. At night, they could only take cold showers at the guesthouses. Still, apart from one person who had mild diarrhea twice, everyone else remained unscathed. “So you see, we really are iron-willed grannies!” Lu Jinpei laughed heartily. She said that thanks to their resourcefulness in saving money, by the time they left India and prepared to return to China, no one had spent all of their 1,500 yuan.
Along the way, the grandmothers didn’t forget to send firsthand updates back to China. At every attraction, Lu Jinpei would take out the iPhone her daughter had given her and snap photos everywhere. Then, as soon as she found a place with Wi-Fi, she would upload the pictures to her daughter’s QQ so she could post updates about their latest whereabouts.
Mastering “animal language”—travel the world without fear
In South Asia, language was a major hurdle. “Translator” Lu Jinpei, despite her English skills, found Nepali and Indian-accented English completely unintelligible. To buy train tickets from an Indian border town to New Delhi, Lu spent an hour finding the foreigner ticket window, another hour figuring out how to fill out the form and which window to use, and in the end, only managed to get two sleeper tickets. The four had to squeeze together on the train for the night. Getting the wrong station was even worse—between midnight and 6 a.m., the four ran back and forth between two stations three times before finally boarding. Normally, when going out, they had to find English-speaking guesthouse owners to translate the destination’s English name into the local language, then walk around showing little notes, stopping every five or ten steps to ask for directions.
Of course, there were also funny moments. Usually, Lu Jinpei, the English speaker, handled shopping. One day, while she was busy with other things, she sent Li Xiaoling to the market to buy eggs. Before she left, Lu specifically taught her, “Eggs, egg.” After a long while, Li Xiaoling returned. “Did you use English?” “No.” “Then how did you buy them?” “Look!” Li Xiaoling placed her hands on either side of her body, flailed her arms up and down, and chanted, “Coo coo coo coo ga…” Lu Jinpei burst out laughing. “Did it work?” “No. The guy asked, ‘chicken’? I shook my head.” She then put her hands behind her back, formed an “O” shape, and suddenly thrust downward, “Pfft…” and successfully bought the eggs. The laughing grannies concluded, “Master animal language, and you can travel the world without fear!”
Because she had students to tutor, Lu Jinpei was the first to return to China on September 16. Wang Ling and Chen Caiping visited places like Kolkata and will return to Nanjing today. As for Li Xiaoping, she was the most carefree—she flew straight to Dali and plans to spend some more time in Yunnan. “Will you join similar trips in the future?” “Oh no, too tiring,” Lu Jinpei waved her hand. But within two minutes, she changed her tune, looking conflicted. “Who knows? Maybe someone will invite me again, and I’ll be tempted.”