Nelly Loridan
May 30, 2006 by jernehhong
It’s never too old to go backpacking
Have you ever thought of what to do if you live up to the age of 80? Well, it did come across my mind to attend the same class with my grandchildren in the University someday in the future but……Nelly Loridan changed my mind.
Nelly is a lovely French lady who I met recently at a craft exhibition. She started to go travelling alone around Asia at the age of 59 she was half paralyzed and her doctor told her that she would become fully-paralyzed within 2 to 3 years.
Despite the fact that one of her sons, a son-in-law and 3 grandsons work as doctors, she ignored their objections of not underwent meditation but embarked on a backpac journey to India in 1986.
In the past 20 years, she spent in average 4 to 8 months travelling abroad. To date, she has visited India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil and South Africa.
Yup! She didn’t become fully-paralyzed or else she wouldn’t be able to chat with me in Kuching!
"Travelling is my therapy!" She claimed that travelling did a wonderful magic to her health, as she had not only recovered from half-paralyzed but also became healthier and happier.
When asked to share her fun experience during her journey, she smiled broadly and said: "Many years ago when I visited Thailand, I walked into a cyber café. A young waiter asked what I was doing there. I told him that I want to use the computer and his mouth opened so wide that I was afraid his jaw would drop." Nelly didn’t bother about that waiter but she continued to walk into the cyber café and sat in front of a computer to begin her adventure with the new technology. At the end of the day, she managed to figure out how to send and retrieve emails — all by herself.
Aren’t you afraid of travelling alone? "What is there to be afraid of? As long as you have a clear mind and you know exactly what you’re doing, and be independent in taking care of your own health and money, even senior people like me can go travelling anywhere."
What if you encounter bad people? Nelly shrugged and pointed at her head as she said: "There are good and bad people everywhere around the world. Unluckily, if you happen to meet those bad ones, you’ll have to use your brain to deal with them carefully."
Did your children worry about your safety? "They do. That’s why I have promise them that I would not go out alone at night," she quipped as she smiled.
During her one month stay in Kuching, she visited a meditation centre at the Borneo Highland with some Malaysian friends for two weeks. After that she roamed around the city on her own. "I feel very comfortable here and people here are very helpful and friendly," she commented.
Later, I took her to visit Kuching South City Hall(MBKS). The moment she caught sight of MBKS building, she exclaimed:"How come this building has an interesting structure. It looks familiar to me….Ah! Now I remember. It resembles a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower!" She vowed to visit Kuching again.
After the Second World-War, Nelly went to Switzerland to get her Bachelor Degree in Psychology. Later, she returned to her hometown and worked as a psychologist for 6 to 7 years. After marriage, she gave up her old job and became a part-time antique dealer.
