"Baba Lena" touring Vietnam on a motorcycle
She was 89 years old when she became an internet sensation, and he had been touring the world since he was 83 . We talk about Elena Mikhailovna , which rose to fame thanks to the post of a fellow traveler, Ekaterina Papina. She found it by chance in a restaurant in Vietnam, where "Baba Lena" (the "Grandma Lena"), as she was called since then, tried to avoid the spicy food with the help of gestures, since she only knew how to speak Russian.
"Grandma Lena flew from Krasnoyarsk to Vietnam alone at 89 years old. To say that she surprised me is an understatement," Ekaterina explained in the Facebook post that went viral. In it, she told the story of this tireless Siberian adventurer, who she grew up an orphan and survived World War II she working in the rear, in Orenburg, plowing the fields with oxen for planting.
The rest of her life continued devoting himself both to the field and to housework. She married a military man, who, at one point, started drinking from her and beating her and her daughter . But all that was behind her when she turned 83 and she began her life as a traveler. By then, she Mikhailovna had, in addition to that girl**, two grandchildren and a pension that she stretched to be able to see the world at least twice a year.**
From avoiding spicy... to stardom!
By the time we heard about her, Grandma had already visited Turkey, Poland and Vietnam, but, without a doubt, her favorite destination was Czech Republic , where she came to fly very often. In fact, she tried to go at least once a year for three weeks, to rest in Karlovy Vary hot springs, which, according to her, they healed him There, by the way, she once met a german tourist , who invited her to spend a few days at her house. In this way, she increased by one more the list of countries visited by the cheerful old woman, she always willing to make friends.
Eugene Evtikhiev, Elena's travel agent in Krasnoyarsk, told a Russian publication that in her seven years of work in tourism, she was the first time she saw that someone of this age possessed "the strength and health" to travel more than 7,000 kilometers . Usually, Grandma Lena defended herself without problems: she traveled only with a cane and a backpack, always counting on someone to come and give her a hand if she needed it. In addition, she dared with everything: motorcycle and camel trips, bathing in the sea, climbing to the heights, exotic dishes...
However, Mikhailovna did have some vision problems , for which she had to undergo surgery on several occasions. Also, she was missing all her teeth , a fact that, as incredible as it may seem, brought her to Spain.
Nothing scares this born in 1927
BABA LENA IN TENERIFE
"It was a love almost from the first moment: since we saw the image of her on social networks, this Russian granny, then 89 years old, conquered us. What strength, what courage and determination to enjoy distilled the story of Baba Lena, how envious!", They explain from the Tenerife Artedental clinic.
Seeing in her photos that Mikhailovna had no teeth, they decided to contact her to invite her to visit the island and, at the same time, equip her with new teeth . "After 17 hours of travel and at the age of 90, this petite figure arrived at the airport in the south of the island. Her coat, her flower scarf and her bag painted an enchanting picture. We expected to find her exhausted, but none of that, she was cool , and the next morning, she was ready early to go," these experts recalled.
Between consultation and consultation, Baba Lena, besieged by the media and, even so, always smiling , she managed to visit Mount Teide, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz, La Laguna... What most caught her attention was the tropical vegetation of the island , and she was hell-bent on knowing how much was the kilo of meat , so she was taken to the market, where she touched and tasted everything from brightly colored fruit to goat cheese.
Baba Lena smelling the flowers in Tenerife
She Even she asked to go skydiving! Ultimately, however, she repented, claiming that she was tired. Of course, she bathed in the sea and in the pool and she did not stop for a moment. "The secret of her health is, according to her: don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, move around a lot (she's a jirivilla) and drink a lot of tea ", they recalled from the clinic.
Upon returning to Siberia with her brand new teeth, which she premiered eating a steak, from Artedental they stated: "It has been a few intense days, but this impressive although small woman leaves us a lot of things, a strength, a desire to live and to take advantage of life at every moment, incredible . Baba Lena kept thanking us and anyone who made a kind gesture towards her, but we are the ones who have to thank her for the example she has left us".
GOODBYE TO BABA LENA
After that trip, there were several more, gifts from different countries. The old woman explored destinations as far apart as Dominican Republic and Thailand . At 91 years old, however, she was detected advanced stage lung cancer , which did not prevent him from leading an active life until the last moment: he rode a bicycle, rode a horse, swam in the ocean... With his powerful example, Baba Lena, who passed away in 2019, showed us that, at the time of travelling, age is nothing more than a state of mind.
Article originally published on October 31, 2016 and updated on March 19, 2021