My name is Leiber Luis Romero, I am 23 years old and I am a tour guide, mountaineer, humorist at heart and gamer during the pandemic.

I believe that our country has what is necessary to become one of the most visited destinations in the world, but I believe that we must improve a lot as a community, and especially when we provide a touristic service, since we think a lot about how much money we are going to earn, and we put aside the fact that we can change a person’s life with a trip.

This is how I perceive tourism, it is a means through which we can create memories that last a lifetime. Our beaches are unique, the Great Savanna is the oldest on the planet and of course our Andes are wonderful. I believe that, if we take advantage of the good things, we can achieve the country we are longing for.

Tales from the road

I’ve been touring Venezuela for five years, and the truth is that I feel lucky to have come across so many incredible people. I could spend a whole day telling stories about how each trip I have made has been, and the people who have left marks on me along the way.

December 2016, my second trip to Roraima. I was leading a couple to the top of the mountain. Up to that point, the journey had been full of laughter and jokes. When we reached the top, it started pouring rain, and we had to sit under a stone. Suddenly, one of the tourists who were with us began to tremble, and while the others looked for her guide, I offered to take care of her on the condition that they take my two tourists to a nearby camp.

They all left, the downpour got worse and the lady had a hypothermia. I had to take off her clothes to raise her body temperature. I was only 19 years old and I had to face this difficult task, but I took courage and continued to take care of her until it got dark, then anxiety came in. It had been 3 hours and no one had appeared, I said to myself: “This is karma”, because the first time I had been to Roraima Tepuy I said that I would not come back. That is when I decided to apologize to the mountain to see if the situation improved.

Immediately afterward, I pitched a tent, placed the lady inside of it, and after a while, two colleagues showed up and took us to the camp. I think the mountain did listen to me. Who would have said that after saying that I would never return to Roraima, I would return so many times?

Transformation

I believe that we Venezuelans have learned to reinvent ourselves over the years, if we don’t, we are left behind. I remember that when I started college I was a sun and beach guide, but then I started to love the mountains. I was part of a project called Kiawok. With them I visited La Gran Sabana, Los Andes, and even took trips to the beach. A project that my partner Anyelo Torres started in conjunction with my dear friend Juan Tasco, called Arepa Trekking was born out of this. And obviously, between all the travelling, I have had to reinvent myself with new jokes to keep tourists entertained.

The quarantine has not been an impediment to exploit our creativity and that is why along with my partner we are making ourselves known in the world of medical supplies. For now, it is something small, but we hope to continue growing for our own benefit and for that of those who collaborate with us.

Take chances.

I advise you not to wait for others to fulfill your dreams for you, as soon as this virus ends, learn how to swim, pitch a tent, jump into a river, go and get to know our country, get to know the world, get to know yourself, be happy and responsible, at the end of our lives all we have left are our memories.

Once I said that I would not return to Roraima and months later I made it my second home, I was afraid of heights and now I lead tourist routes in Mérida, I cried when I did not have my mother by my side and now I travel weekly, I lived and died for a tablet but now I only dream of sleeping in a tent looking at the stars.

Translated by: Pascual Díaz