Boyana Sharlopova on the Feeling of Being on the Edge of Venezuela

When someone descends from the summit of Angel Falls – the highest waterfall in the world – and instead of talking about adrenaline and statistics, begins to tell tales of silence, trust, and encounters with oneself... you just listen.

Boyana Sharlopova didn't just visit Venezuela. She experienced it. She fell, climbed, brushed off dust, held her breath, gripped the rope, and opened her heart. This interview is not about posturing or clichés – it's about feelings.

Read her story. Then ask yourself:
What would I do if I stood on the edge?

1. Do you remember the moment before you took the first step over the edge of Angel Falls? What happened inside you at that moment?

I remember every step, every inhale and exhale, every heartbeat on the way to the edge. It felt like I was walking towards something greater than myself – not just the abyss, but a meeting with myself.

When I stood above the waterfall, time stopped. I felt the fear rising within me – but not the familiar, panicky fear that makes you want to run. This was a quiet, profound fear... respectful, almost sacred. The kind of fear that makes you feel alive.

There was hesitation. Of course, there was. But then a voice rose within me – clear and assertive, the same one that emerges in difficult moments. And it whispered: "This fear is not stronger than you, girl."

2. What was the sensation of being “high” in this way – not just physically, but emotionally? What remains in your mind from those metres above the ground?

The sensation of being “high” like this is a mixture of awe, freedom, and vulnerability. The physical height brings a lightness – it feels as if the world below shrinks and loses its weight. But the emotional height is even more impactful – it's a moment when everything seems possible, and your heart beats in rhythm with everything around you.

What stays in the mind is not just the view, but a sense of perspective – how the small things below no longer seem so daunting, how thoughts become clearer, and how, in that brief moment, you are both part of the world and a small speck, there for just a moment. You remember not so much images, but sensations: the slight tension, the rush of adrenaline, and that quiet “yes” within you, that you are alive, that you are there.

3. Was there a moment in Venezuela that surprised you with its silence? Something small that you would never notice in the city?

There was a moment in Venezuela that surprised me not with grandeur, but with silence. It was a silence that doesn't weigh down but envelopes you. There, amid wild, breathing nature, I first heard its whispers – those fine, almost imperceptible sounds that the city drowns out with its noise. A leaf falling. Wind passing through the grass. The pulse of the world, unnoticed in daily life.

It was as if nature itself spoke to me. Not with words, but with feeling. I wasn't just observing it – I was within it, and it within me. United. We vibrated in one rhythm, in one breath. For the first time, I felt completely alive – not as an observer, but as part of something ancient, true, and perfect. I was admitted into a world that doesn't reveal itself to everyone. A world that chooses you when you're ready to feel it, not just see it.

4. When you find yourself on top of a tepui, in a world detached from time – what happens to your sense of control? Did you leave something behind there?

When you find yourself on top of a tepui – this mysterious, time-forgotten world – the sense of control just... vanishes. Everything you've been accustomed to holding tightly, orderly, and managed, dissolves painlessly, like sand carried away by the wind. And in this, there is something deeply therapeutic – especially for someone like me, who lives with the need for control every day.

Up there, in this ancient, almost alien silence, for the first time in a long time, I felt what it means to be truly free. Without roles, without masks, without expectations. Just presence. Just breathing.

I left my fears and insecurities on that summit – like worn-out clothes that no longer serve me. And when I descended back, I knew I would never be the same. Part of me stayed there, but in exchange, I left with something more valuable – the silence within myself.

5. Did Venezuela tell you anything about fear? Has your way of recognising it changed?

Yes, that Fear, which once held me back, has now become the fuel for my dreams. That moment high above the world forever altered my perspective on life.

6. How does a woman change when she stands beneath a waterfall almost a kilometre high? And how does she return to everyday life?

The weight of my life is insignificant compared to the strength I carry within me.

I returned quickly because I had no choice. The tasks were waiting for me, but I was much more confident and moved through difficulties with greater ease.

7. Is there anything that Venezuela reminded you of about yourself? Something you knew but had forgotten?

It reminded me of what it means to trust – in your body, in your instincts, in the moment, in the guides. To walk without knowing what's ahead, but with an open heart.

8. How do you see the world now? And if you could put one word to your experience – what would it be?

I now see the world with eyes that have seen beyond fear. My eyes no longer seek security – they seek truth. They seek life as it is – raw, beautiful, sometimes gentle, sometimes ruthless, but always real.

And if I could put one word to everything I experienced… it would be:

Awakening.

Because I didn't just see a new land. I saw a new face of myself. And I recognised it. And I embraced it.

9. If you could take only one memory from Venezuela in your pocket – what would it be?

It would more likely be a taste: there's no tastier water than that of Angel Falls, but up on the tepui and no more beautiful view than the full moon against the falling water of Angel and the stars above me.

10. What would you say to someone who feels they want “something different” but hasn't dared to take the leap yet?

Don't wait for everything to be clear, organised, and guaranteed. Life doesn't come with instructions or promises – it comes with opportunities. And when something inside you starts to stir... to pull you, to whisper “I want more”... Listen to it. That's not a whim. It's your true “self” asking you to wake up.

I wasn't ready either. I hesitated until the last moment. But I went.

And I can tell you with all my heart: It was the best thing I've ever done for myself.

Sometimes a single “Yes” changes your entire horizon. And then... you start to see life with different eyes. Braver. More truthful. More free.

Go. It’s worth it.

If this shakes you even a little inside – then you’re ready.
To step off the edge of your comfort.
To see with your own eyes a world that resembles nothing familiar.
To discover that Venezuela, which cannot be captured in a picture.

Our next group is in October.
There’s a place. Maybe just for you.