A couple of Backpackers in a Car

[Randy W]

in the WaPo

 

 

Two Chinese retirees win hearts on epic American road trip

 

Upon their return — to their surprise — they were greeted as heroes, profiled in state media and lauded online. “Couple prove age no barrier to globe-trotting,” a China Daily headline said.

 

. . .

 

“Back then I said to myself, ‘One day I’m going to travel to your country,’ ” she said.

 

Chen and Wang raised two children and saved as much as possible. In 2012, they bought their first car, and the next year, despite serious health problems, took a not-so-rookie road-trip across mountainous Tibet.

 

The United States would be tougher. For Chen and Wang, like many Chinese tourists, traveling abroad requires logistical prowess.

 

Rental contracts and street signs are only the beginning. (English speakers: Imagine filling out a customs form written entirely in Chinese.)

 

. . .

 

Eating went okay, most of the time, but finding hotels proved tough — so tough that they started sleeping in the car.

 

The morning they arrived in Las Vegas, it took them five hours to find the motel they had booked online. Later, driving from Vegas to Flagstaff, they found themselves at a dead end deep in the mountains as night settled in and their navigation system faltered.

 

They were saved, in the end, by two 60-something Americans in a Chevy. Chen pointed to the GPS, closed her eyes, and gestured to show that the navigation system was blind.

 

The Americans tried offering directions in English but quickly saw that the couple could not follow and led the way by car.

 

 

 

 

[Greg.D.]

I read that and thought "I wish I had run into them somewhere"

 

Anyway, glad it's not a story about being mugged