Today, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, a memory from seven years ago stopped me in my tracks. It was a selfie I had taken at Yosemite National Park during the pre-summit road trip for the Google Local Guides Summit. That single photo brought back a flood of memories, and I felt compelled to share my story with fellow Local Guides.
The summit in 2017 was not just any event—it was the last Google Local Guides Summit before it was rebranded as Connect Live, and it was my first summit ever, marking my very first visit to the United States. It was the beginning of a journey that would change my life forever.
I had been contributing to Google Maps since 2007, and in 2016, I officially joined the Local Guides Program, driven purely by my passion for maps and connecting people with places. I had no idea that my contributions would eventually lead me to something as incredible as the Google Local Guides Summit. At that time, contributing was just part of my everyday life, something I loved doing without expecting anything in return.
In early 2017, I learned about the Google Local Guides Summit and decided to apply. I still remember creating a one-minute video for the application—it took me days to perfect it. Then, on March 12, 2017, I received the email that I had been eagerly waiting for: I was in! The excitement I felt in that moment was indescribable.
From then on, it was all about preparing for the summit. I saw a pre-summit road trip being organized by @SoniaK , a Local Guide from Bangladesh, who planned to visit Yosemite National Park—one of my dream destinations. Without hesitation, I joined her group and became actively involved in the planning. Sonia was an incredible planner, and she knew exactly how to navigate the challenges of bringing people from all over the world together.
On October 7th, 2017, I landed in San Francisco. The anticipation was overwhelming as I made my way from the airport directly to Motel Capri, where we were all meeting for the first time. I knocked on the door, and Maria from Brazil opened it. By the end of the night, there were seven of us in that small motel room—Sonia and Mahabub @MahabubMunna from Bangladesh, Andres from Hungary, Maria from Brazil, Tim @TimBull from England, Badruddeen @Badruddeen from the Maldives, and me, from Sri Lanka. I can’t quite recall how we all managed to fit in that room, but we did—and those close quarters were the start of lifelong friendships.
Early the next morning, we headed to Yosemite in two hired jeeps, joined by even more Local Guides. Joe from Tanzania, Rohith from Canada (originally from Sri Lanka), Sampson from Taiwan, Ainur from Azerbaijan with her family, and Muhannad from Palestine joined our convoy. If I’ve forgotten anyone, please forgive me—and feel free to add yourselves to this story. That day was nothing short of magical.
The following video captures what happened next: our adventures in Yosemite, the laughter, the awe, and the pure joy of experiencing one of the world’s most beautiful places together.
This photo, taken with all of us at Yosemite, remains my all-time favorite. It embodies what this journey was about—golden memories and silver tears. I am so grateful to the Google Local Guides Program for giving me this experience. Even today, our WhatsApp group, aptly named “That Yosemite THING,” keeps us all connected. This friendship will last until we say our final goodbyes to this world.
One day, I hope we can all meet again. Until then, these memories will remain etched in my heart.
