Tarcoles River, Puntarenas

Location: Tárcoles, canton of Garabito, province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica — about 90 minutes from San Jose on the Central Pacific coast.
Postal code: 61102

Waze location of the Croc Skywalk at the Tarcoles River, Garabito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Google Maps location of the Tarcoles River crocodile bridge, Garabito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

The Tarcoles River is the best place in Costa Rica to see wild American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), and it costs nothing. The river runs down from the Central Valley and empties into the Pacific beside Carara National Park, and the stretch below the Route 34 bridge holds one of the densest concentrations of large crocodiles anywhere in Central America.

It is also one of the most reliable places in the country to see the scarlet macaw (Ara macao). The river valley and the Carara forest form the northern edge of the species’ range on the Pacific slope, and pairs fly over the estuary most mornings and evenings.

For most visitors the Tarcoles River is a stop on the drive between San Jose and Jaco rather than a destination in itself — but it is worth planning around, not just passing through.

Where to see the Tarcoles River crocodiles

Seeing the crocodiles is free. There are two ways to do it, and they are not equally good.

The Croc Skywalk (recommended)

The Croc Skywalk, next to the Café Britt shop on Route 34, is the best spot to watch the river. Parking is free and so is admission. You walk out on a hanging bridge and look down at the river from a viewpoint, rather than standing at the edge of a highway carrying heavy truck traffic.

It also has a restaurant and restrooms on site, which makes it a natural stop on the San Jose to Jaco drive.

The Croc Skywalk Tarcoles River Costa Rica

The Route 34 bridge

The other option is the pedestrian walkway on the Route 34 bridge, which is also free. It works, but it means parking on the shoulder of the highway and walking a narrow walkway beside traffic. The vehicle break-ins reported in this area involve cars left on the roadside, not cars in a supervised lot. If you do stop here, leave nothing visible and hold on to small children.

Viewing tips

  • Cost: free either way. You only pay if you choose a boat tour.
  • Best time: mid-morning to mid-afternoon, when crocodiles haul out to bask. At high tide less sandbank is exposed and fewer animals are visible.
  • What you’ll see: the largest individuals exceed four metres. They rest on the sandbanks below the bridge.
  • Safety: do not climb down to the riverbank, and never feed the animals.
Tarcoles River Bridge Costa Rica

Tarcoles River boat tours

Two established operators run boat tours from docks near the river mouth. Both cover the mangrove channels, the crocodile stretches and the estuary birdlife. Departure times shift with the tide, so confirm directly with the operator — the last afternoon departure is usually the best one for birds.

Jungle Crocodile Safari & Bird Watching Tour

2 hours · Adults $40, children $35 · Departures: 8:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm

Their standard tour runs roughly two hours and covers the river’s main ecosystems, with close approaches to the American crocodile — Costa Rica’s top predator — and the wildlife along the riverbanks. Location and booking

Jungle Crocodile Safari & Bird Watching Tour Tarcoles River Costa Rica

Crocodile Man Tour

1 hour 45 minutes · $39.55 · Departures: 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

Operating for over 25 years, with five departures a day — the highest frequency in the area. The route covers the lower river, where crocodiles of every size are visible, from hatchlings to full-grown adults, along with the estuary’s birdlife.

Includes: bilingual Spanish/English guide, supervised parking, complimentary coffee and water at their restaurant, and internet access on site. Lunch and fresh fruit are available at extra cost.

This is the more convenient departure if you are passing through and don’t want to commit to a fixed time. Location and booking

The Crocodile Man Tour Tarcoles River Costa Rica

Scarlet macaws and birdwatching on the Tarcoles River

The Tarcoles estuary and neighbouring Carara National Park form the strongest scarlet macaw habitat on Costa Rica’s Pacific slope. Macaws roost in the mangroves and commute inland at dawn and back toward the coast at dusk, almost always in pairs — and you hear them well before you see them.

Beyond macaws, the river is a serious birding site. Regular sightings include the roseate spoonbill, boat-billed heron, bare-throated tiger heron, northern jacana and several kingfisher species.

Bring binoculars. The best light for photography is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.

Scarlet Macaws @ Playa Guacalillo

Carara National Park

Carara National Park sits directly beside the river and protects the transition zone between the dry forest of the north and the humid forest of the south — which is why its species list is unusually long for a park this size.

Carara has a universally accessible trail suitable for wheelchairs, which is rare among Costa Rican national parks. Arrive at opening time for the best wildlife activity.

Hours

Monday to Sunday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (May to November)
Monday to Sunday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (December to April)
Last entry is at 3:00 pm.

Entrance fees

Costa Rican nationals and legal residents

  • Adults (over 12): ₡1,000 + VAT
  • Children 2 to 12: ₡500 + VAT
  • Children under 2: free
  • Ciudadano de Oro (seniors): free

Foreign visitors and non-residents

  • Adults (over 12): $10 + VAT
  • Children 2 to 12: $5 + VAT
  • Children under 2: free

Book here

Beaches near the Tarcoles River

The river mouth is flanked by a string of quiet grey-sand beaches. None of them are swimming beaches near the estuary — crocodiles move from the river into the sea and there are no lifeguards — but they are excellent for walking, photography and sunsets.

  • Azul Beach — right at the mouth of the Tarcoles River, between Guacalillo and Tarcoles. Dark grey sand.
  • Tarcoles Beach — between Azul Beach and La Pita Beach, backed by mangroves and lagoons that serve as nesting grounds for many birds.
  • La Pita Beach — a small fishing beach known for its sunsets.
  • Agujas Beach — between La Pita Beach and Limoncito Beach, the farthest from the estuary in this group.
  • Guacalillo Beach — facing the Guacalillo estuary, one of the best spots on this entire coast for scarlet macaws.

If you want a beach you can actually swim at, continue south to Herradura Beach or Jaco Beach, both under 30 minutes away.

How to get to the Tarcoles River

From San Jose by car

Take Route 27 toward Caldera, then the Pozón exit toward Jaco and continue on Route 34. The crocodile bridge is on Route 34 itself. The drive takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Route 27 has tolls, so carry cash or a Quick Pass transponder.

From Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO)

Follow Route 27 from Alajuela and continue as above. Allow approximately 1 hour 29 minutes.

From Jaco

Drive north on Route 34 for about 32 minutes — 26 km. It is an easy half-day trip from any hotel in Jaco or Herradura.

By bus

Take the San José – Jaco bus operated by Transportes Jacó (+506 2223-1109) and ask the driver to stop at the Tarcoles bridge. The trip takes about 2 hours. Buy your ticket a day in advance, especially on weekends and holidays. Bear in mind that the return is less predictable — you will be flagging down a passing bus.

Where to eat and stock up near the Tarcoles River

There are no shops at the bridge itself. The nearest services are in Tarcoles village, Quebrada Ganado and Herradura.

  • The Croc Skywalk — hanging bridge and viewpoint over the river, with a restaurant on site. The most convenient stop of all.
  • Marisquería Restauranticos — seafood. Open Monday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm.
  • Super Tarcoles — the closest supermarket to the river mouth.
  • Vikings Danish Bakery — Danish bakery. Location
  • Farmacia Quebrada Ganado — Monday to Saturday 8am–8pm, Sunday 8am–12pm.
  • Farmacia Fischel Herradura — Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm.

Best time to visit the Tarcoles River

The dry season, December to April, brings the clearest skies and the lowest, clearest water — which means more exposed sandbank and more visible crocodiles. The green season, May to November, brings a fuller river and greener forest, with rain concentrated in the afternoon; mornings are usually dry.

In any month, go early or late in the day. Midday heat on the Central Pacific is intense and there is no shade on the bridge.

Frequently asked questions about the Tarcoles River

Where is the Tarcoles River in Costa Rica?

The Tarcoles River runs through the canton of Garabito in the province of Puntarenas and empties into the Pacific beside Carara National Park. The crocodile bridge is on Route 34, about 90 minutes from San Jose.

Can you see the Tarcoles crocodiles for free?

Yes. The Croc Skywalk next to the Café Britt shop has free parking and free admission, and the pedestrian walkway on the Route 34 bridge is also open to the public at no cost. You only pay if you choose to take a boat tour.

Where is the best place to park at the Tarcoles River?

The Croc Skywalk, next to the Café Britt shop on Route 34. Parking there is free and supervised, and you view the river from a hanging bridge rather than from the shoulder of a highway. The vehicle break-ins reported in the area involve cars left on the roadside, not cars in a supervised lot.

How many crocodiles are in the Tarcoles River?

The Tarcoles River holds one of the highest concentrations of American crocodiles in Central America. Population estimates vary and no single figure is authoritative, but seeing dozens of animals along the lower river in one visit is routine.

Is it safe to swim in the Tarcoles River or at the river mouth?

No. Neither the river nor the beaches immediately around its mouth are safe for swimming. Crocodiles move between the river and the sea, there are no lifeguards, and the Pacific generates rip currents along this stretch of coast.

How long is a Tarcoles River boat tour?

Between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours depending on the operator, at around $40 per adult. Departure times shift with the tide, so confirm directly with the operator.

Can you see scarlet macaws at the Tarcoles River?

Yes. The Tarcoles estuary and Carara National Park form one of the most reliable scarlet macaw habitats in Costa Rica. They are most active at dawn and dusk, when they commute between their mangrove roosts and inland feeding areas, usually flying in pairs.

How far is the Tarcoles River from San Jose?

About 1 hour 30 minutes by car via Routes 27 and 34, or roughly 2 hours by public bus on the San José – Jaco route.

How much does Carara National Park cost?

For foreign visitors, $10 plus VAT for adults over 12 and $5 plus VAT for children aged 2 to 12. Costa Rican nationals and residents pay ₡1,000 plus VAT for adults and ₡500 plus VAT for children. Children under 2 enter free.

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Godot 4 Guide: Build Your First Video Game in 4 Weeks (From Zero)

$0in software, forever
12 htotal, across four weeks
0prior experience required
1 gamepublished, playable in a browser

Here is the full four-week plan. No experience needed — not a single line of code ever written, not one tutorial watched. If you can open a browser, you can start today.

Three honest expectations


Four weeks is not enough time to build the game you are imagining. It is exactly enough time to finish a small one — and finishing is the skill nobody teaches.

  • You will not build Skyrim.You will build one small, complete, playable game. One finished project teaches more than ten ambitious abandoned ones, and it is the only kind anyone can actually play.
  • You will get stuck. Repeatedly.Getting unstuck is the real skill being trained. Reading an error message calmly instead of panicking is most of what separates a beginner from an intermediate.
  • Age is not the obstacle. Inconsistency is.Three sessions of 45 minutes beat one heroic Saturday. People start this at 60 and ship. People start at 22 and quit in week two. The variable is the calendar, not the birth year.

Choosing your tool


ToolBest if youCostCodeVerdict
ScratchHave never programmed anythingFreeBlocksOptional warm-up
GDevelopWant games without writing codeFreeVisual eventsGood alternative
Godot 4Want a real engineFree, open sourceGDScriptThis plan
Unity / UnrealAiming at industry workFree tierC# / C++Later, not now

If you have never written a single line of code anywhere, spend two evenings in Scratch first. It is not beneath you. It removes a month of confusion because it teaches you what a loop and a variable actually feel like before you have to type them.

Setup: 45 minutes, once


  1. Download Godot 4 from godotengine.org. No account, no installer, no payment. It is a single file you run.
  2. Open it, create a new project and choose the 2D renderer. Do not change any other setting.
  3. Bookmark the official “Your first 2D game” tutorial. It is free, and it is the spine of this plan.
  4. If you have never written code anywhere: spend two evenings on Scratch first. It is not beneath you and it removes a month of confusion.
01
WEEK 01

The editor, and a thing that moves

Get comfortable inside the editor and put something on screen that responds to you.

What you’ll learn

  • Nodes and scenes — and why everything is one
  • The scene tree
  • Sprite2D and the inspector
  • Attaching your first script
  • _process(delta) and frame time
  • Reading keyboard input

The three sessions

  • 01Tour the editor. Make a 2D scene, add a Sprite2D, press play.45 min
  • 02Attach a script. Move the sprite with code alone, no keyboard input yet.60 min
  • 03Read the arrow keys. Move the sprite, and keep it inside the window.60 min
By the end of the week

A character you can drive around a window with the arrow keys.

The trap this week Engine shopping. Don’t spend week one reading comparisons of Godot against Unity against Unreal. Every hour of that is an hour not spent building. Pick this one and stay.
02
WEEK 02

Rules, collisions and a score

Turn a moving sprite into something that can be won and lost.

What you’ll learn

  • Area2D and collision shapes
  • Signals — and why they beat checking every frame
  • Variables and game state
  • Timers
  • Instancing a scene at runtime
  • Groups

The three sessions

  • 01Add collision shapes. Connect your first signal and print something.60 min
  • 02Spawn objects on a timer, at random positions.60 min
  • 03Add a score variable and a game-over state that stops play.60 min
By the end of the week

A real game loop: start, play, lose, restart.

The trap this week Scope creep. Every good idea that arrives this week goes into a separate text file called IDEAS — and none of them get built. The game you finish is worth more than the game you imagine.
03
WEEK 03

Make it feel good

The distance between a tech demo and a game is feedback.

What you’ll learn

  • AnimatedSprite2D and sprite sheets
  • AudioStreamPlayer and free sound effects
  • Tweens for movement that has weight
  • CanvasLayer and UI that stays put
  • GPUParticles2D
  • Screen shake

The three sessions

  • 01Animate the player. Add two sound effects from Kenney.nl or jsfxr.60 min
  • 02Build a HUD: a score label and a message label that survive scene changes.60 min
  • 03Add juice: a tween on pickup, a particle burst, a small screen shake.60 min
By the end of the week

A game that reacts to the player instead of just obeying them.

The trap this week Tutorial hell. If you have watched the same video twice without opening the editor, stop watching and start typing. Watching is not practising, and it feels productive — which is exactly what makes it dangerous.
04
WEEK 04

Ship it

Put it in front of another human being. This is the week that actually counts.

What you’ll learn

  • A main menu as its own scene
  • Switching scenes and restarting cleanly
  • Export templates
  • The HTML5 export and what breaks in it
  • Publishing on itch.io
  • Writing a two-line game description

The three sessions

  • 01Build a main menu and a working restart flow.60 min
  • 02Export to HTML5. Fix what breaks. Something always breaks.60 min
  • 03Publish on itch.io and send the link to exactly one person.45 min
By the end of the week

A public URL of a game you made, that a stranger can play in a browser right now.

The trap this week Polishing forever. Ship it imperfect. The bugs you leave in version one become the roadmap for version two, and version two has a different start date.

Where this goes next


Go deeper

Stay in Godot. Learn GDScript properly, then try 3D. Rebuild the same small game, better. Each rebuild is faster than the last.

Go wider

Learn the crafts around the code: pixel art in Aseprite or Krita (both free), sound in jsfxr, music in LMMS.

Go social

Enter a game jam. Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, or any itch.io jam. A weekend deadline teaches more than a month alone.

Free resources worth your time


  • Godot official docs — the “Your first 2D game” tutorial, start to finish. Free, no account.
  • Learn GDScript From Zero — a free interactive app by GDQuest, no browser tab juggling required.
  • Kenney.nl — thousands of free game assets, no attribution required. The best gift to any beginner.
  • jsfxr — retro sound effects generated in the browser in seconds. No account, free download.
  • OpenGameArt — free art and music under permissive licences.
  • itch.io — where you publish, and where you play what other beginners made. More instructive than any course.

Ship log — what you actually finished


Print this page or copy the table somewhere. Write down what you actually finished each week, not what you planned to finish. The gap between those two things is the most useful data you will collect.

WeekWhat I actually finishedDate
01  
02  
03  
04  

Frequently asked questions


Why Godot and not Unity or Unreal?

Unity and Unreal are industry-standard tools, but they are also significantly more complex to set up and learn. Godot 4 is free, open source, and installs as a single file with no account required. The concepts you learn in Godot transfer directly to Unity if you ever need it — the reverse is much harder.

Do I need to know math?

Not for this plan. You will use addition, subtraction and the concept of a random number. The geometry of 2D games becomes relevant later, when you choose to go deeper. It is not a prerequisite.

How is this different from watching YouTube tutorials?

Watching is not practising. A tutorial teaches you how someone else solved a specific problem. This plan gives you a structure for solving your own problems, in order, with a finished game at the end of each week instead of a half-finished copy of someone else’s project.

What if I fall behind?

Restart the week, not the whole plan. If week two takes three weeks, that’s fine — the goal is the deliverable at the end, not the calendar. The only real failure mode is stopping entirely.

Can I do this on a Mac?

Yes. Godot 4 runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The HTML5 export works the same on all three. A Mac made in the last six years will handle it without any issue.

What does “shipping on itch.io” mean exactly?

You create a free account on itch.io, upload the HTML5 export Godot generates, and get a public URL. Anyone in the world can open it in a browser and play your game immediately, at no cost to you or them.

Is game development a viable career?

The games industry is large and does employ a wide range of roles — programmers, artists, designers, audio engineers, producers. It is also competitive. This plan is not a career path; it is a skill foundation and a way to find out whether you genuinely enjoy the craft before investing more time in it.

What if I built a kids’ game instead?

The skills are identical. If someone in your household is learning to make games with Scratch and you want to build alongside them at a higher level, this plan pairs well with our free 4-week kids’ plan.

The requirement was never talent, and it was never youth. It was finishing one small thing, and then starting the next one.

Free coding for kids: a 4-week plan to build their first video game

8–11years old, reading fluently
4 weeks3 sessions of 30–40 min
$0Scratch only, nothing to install
1 gamepublished, with a link to share

Here is the whole plan. No experience needed — and the adult doesn’t need to know how to code either.

Start here: Mission 0

Fifteen minutes, just once, with a grown-up beside them.

  1. Make your accountGo to scratch.mit.edu and click “Join Scratch”. Use a grown-up’s email rather than the child’s, so notifications reach you.
  2. Look around the editorOpen a new project. The colored blocks live on the left, and your character stands in the white box on the right.
  3. Spy on a gameFind a game you like in the gallery and click “See Inside”. You will see the blocks that make it work. Every single game is built like that.

What coding actually is here: you don’t type anything. You drag colored blocks and snap them under each other, like Lego. The top one happens first, then the next, then the next. That idea is exactly what Python, Lua and C# do too — the look changes, the concept doesn’t.

The club rules

  • 3 days a weekShort sessions of 30 to 40 minutes. A little and often always wins.
  • If it breaks, it isn’t a mistakeIt’s a clue. Ask yourself: what did I want to happen, and what is happening?
  • Remixing countsTaking someone else’s project and changing it is called a “remix”, and that’s how everyone learns.
WEEK1
Your mission

Make it move!

Get a character to obey YOU.

Use the tutorials Scratch already has: “Animate a Character” and “Make a Chase Game”.

This week’s magic blocks

  • when green flag clicked
  • forever
  • if key pressed
  • move 10 steps
  • point in direction
Mini-project

A character that YOU control with the arrow keys. Up, down, left, right.

Achievement unlocked

A grown-up plays your game and cannot win.

Your 3 sessions this week

  1. Do the whole “Animate a Character” tutorial.
  2. Do “Make a Chase Game” and watch one sprite follow another.
  3. Your project: move your character with the arrow keys.
TipStart with the Scratch cat. You can change its costume later.
WEEK2
Your mission

Add the rules

Give your game points, lives and sound.

This is the week where coding really clicks. It’s the most important of the four.

This week’s magic blocks

  • if… then
  • touching?
  • variable: score
  • wait 1 second
  • start sound
Mini-project

A catch game: something falls from the top, you catch it and score points. Miss it and you lose a life.

Achievement unlocked

Your first working scoreboard on the screen.

Your 3 sessions this week

  1. Make a variable called “score” and show it on the screen.
  2. Make an object fall from the top over and over again.
  3. Put it together: score, lives and a sound when you catch.
TipA “variable” is just a little box where the game keeps a number.
WEEK3
Your mission

Design your world

The most creative week: characters, outfits and backdrops made by you.

Your tools this week: the costume editor and the paint editor in Scratch.

This week’s magic blocks

  • switch costume to
  • switch backdrop to
  • when this sprite clicked
  • show / hide
Mini-project

A dress-up room: you click an outfit, a hairstyle or a backdrop and your character changes. Like Avatar World, but made by you.

Achievement unlocked

One character with 5 completely different looks.

Your 3 sessions this week

  1. Draw or edit 5 costumes for your character.
  2. Make 3 different backdrops and learn how to switch them.
  3. Build the dress-up room: click an outfit = costume changes.
TipIf you like this week MORE than the others, design is your thing. That counts as making games too.
WEEK4
Your mission

Tell your story

Put everything you learned into one real game.

A finished game has a beginning, a challenge and an ending. Just like a story.

This week’s magic blocks

  • broadcast message
  • when I receive
  • switch backdrop to
  • say “Hi!”
Mini-project

A start screen + one playable level + a “YOU WIN!” screen. All inside the same project.

Achievement unlocked

Publishing your game and sending the link to your family.

Your 3 sessions this week

  1. Design your start screen with a PLAY button.
  2. Connect the button to your level using “broadcast”.
  3. Add the “YOU WIN!” screen and publish the game.
TipThat moment when someone else plays something you made never gets old.

Track your progress

These boxes are saved in this browser, so you can come back to this page each week and pick up where you left off.

What comes after the 4 weeks?

By the end you’ll know something useful: whether your child leans toward logic or toward art. Three paths from there, all free.

  • Roblox Studio — build worlds in 3D and publish them on a real platform. Needs a computer; it doesn’t run on tablets, and it’s considerably harder than Scratch.
  • Blockbench — design Minecraft-style skins, blocks and objects. The natural route if design turned out to be their thing.
  • Code.org — full free courses that move gradually from blocks to JavaScript, plus the short Minecraft tutorials that work well as a hook.

Five tips for the adult helping out

  1. Don’t fix their code. When they get stuck, ask: “what did you want to happen, and what is happening?” That question is the skill.
  2. Keep sessions short. Thirty focused minutes beat two dragged-out hours.
  3. Let them remix. Changing someone else’s project isn’t copying; it’s the normal way to learn in Scratch.
  4. Play what they made. Not generic praise — actually sit down and try to win.
  5. No calendar pressure. If four weeks takes eight, nothing is lost. The goal is that they want to come back.

Online safety: what to actually watch

  • Accounts tied to a grown-up’s email. On both Scratch and Roblox, so notifications reach you.
  • Roblox needs active parental controls. Set the parent PIN, restrict chat and enable age verification. It’s a social platform as much as a game catalog.
  • Talk about comments in advance. When your child publishes their first game, strangers will comment on it. Have that conversation before it happens, not after.

If family digital safety interests you, we also published a guide on how to share your location permanently on Google Maps.

Why this plan works

If your child spends hours building worlds in Minecraft, exploring games in Roblox or dressing up characters in Avatar World, they are already halfway there. All three point at the same instinct: the urge to build worlds. That’s the raw material of game design. The difference between a kid who consumes and a kid who creates is usually just that somebody showed them the second option exists.

The order of the four weeks is deliberate — movement, then rules, then design, then story. That is the same order in which real video games get built, and it means the child always has something playable at the end of each week instead of a half-finished thing they lose patience with.

Coding and design are two different jobs

Making video games involves two crafts working side by side. Coding is the logic: what happens when I press a key, how points are counted, when the game ends. Design and art is how it looks and feels: characters, outfits, backdrops, sound, story.

If your child loves Avatar World, their talent may well sit on the design side. That’s not lesser than coding — the industry employs as many artists as programmers. Week 3 exists precisely so you can see which way they lean.

What age should a child start?

From around 7 or 8, as long as they read fluently. Reading is the only real prerequisite: block-based coding needs no advanced math, but the child does have to read the instruction and understand what it does.

AgeToolWhat they achieve
5 to 7ScratchJr, Code.org ExpressSimple sequences, cause and effect, minimal reading
8 to 11Scratch + Minecraft on Code.orgComplete games with score, lives, levels and sound
10 to 13Roblox Studio3D worlds, modeling, publishing on a real platform
13 and upUnity, Godot, PythonProfessional engines and written code

Don’t skip Scratch because a child seems “too old for that”. It teaches the concepts — variables, conditionals, loops, events — that reappear unchanged in Lua, Python and C#. A child who understands Scratch picks up Roblox in weeks. One who starts straight in Roblox tends to copy scripts from YouTube without understanding them.

Frequently asked questions

Is Scratch really free?

Yes. Scratch, Code.org, Roblox Studio and Blockbench are all completely free, with no paid tier and no project limits. All you need is a computer or tablet with internet and a grown-up’s email to create the accounts.

Can a child do this on a tablet?

With Scratch, yes — the editor works on modern tablets, though dragging blocks is more comfortable with a mouse. Roblox Studio, however, strictly requires a Windows or Mac computer.

Does the adult need to know how to code?

No. The plan is written so the child follows it and the adult supervises. Every tool here is designed for beginners, and the tutorials are built into Scratch itself.

Which is better to start with, Scratch or Roblox?

Scratch, clearly, for children under 10. It teaches the same logic concepts later used in Roblox, without the complexity of a 3D engine. A child with a Scratch foundation progresses in Roblox far faster than one who starts there directly.

How much should they practice per week?

Between 90 and 120 minutes split across three sessions. Consistency matters more than duration: three 30-minute sessions go much further than a single two-hour one.

What if my child gets stuck?

Getting stuck is the normal state of programming, not a sign of failure. The habit to build is asking “what did I want to happen, and what is happening?” Scratch also lets you open any published project with “See Inside” to see how someone else solved the same problem.

What if my child is more interested in design than coding?

That’s good news, not a problem. Game studios employ concept artists, 3D modelers, animators, level designers and writers. Week 3 of the plan exists to spot that inclination early.

Is this useful long-term, or just a hobby?

The skills being trained — breaking a problem down, testing, correcting, iterating — transfer to almost any career. And in software specifically, it’s one of the strongest areas for remote work.

How to Share Your Location Permanently on Google Maps

Sharing your location with family takes less than two minutes and can save a life. Use Google Maps live location sharing as a preventive safety measure: in an emergency, an accident, or when someone goes missing, knowing their last known location can be the difference between finding them in hours instead of days.

Most people only find the one-hour option. There is a setting for indefinite sharing that stays on until you turn it off. This guide shows you exactly where it is, on both Android and iPhone, and answers the questions people ask most.

How to Share Your Location Permanently (Android and iPhone)

Follow these steps on your phone. The process is identical on Android and iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Google Maps app

Make sure the app is updated from the Google Play Store or the App Store, and that you are signed in to your Google account.

Step 2: Tap your profile picture

You will find it in the top right corner of the screen.

Google Maps home screen with profile picture in the top right corner

Step 3: Select “Location sharing”

In the menu that opens, tap Location sharing.

Google Maps profile menu showing the Location sharing option

Step 4: Tap “New share”

If this is your first time, you will see a Share location button. If you have shared before, you will see New share instead.

Location sharing screen in Google Maps

Step 5: Choose the permanent duration

This is the key step, and the one most people miss. Instead of picking a limited time — 1 hour, 2 hours and so on — select Until you turn this off. This makes the sharing permanent until you cancel it yourself.

New share button in Google Maps location sharing

Step 6: Choose who to share with

Pick the contacts you want to share with. The person needs a Google account for the sharing to appear directly in their Google Maps.

Selecting Until you turn this off for permanent location sharing

Step 7: Tap “Share”

That is it. Your location is now being shared indefinitely, and the person you chose can see it in their own Google Maps.

Choosing which contacts to share your location with
Location successfully shared in Google Maps

Why Share Your Location Permanently With Family

The most common reasons people set this up:

  • Aging parents living alone. Knowing a parent got home safely, without calling to check every time.
  • Teenagers and young drivers. A mutual arrangement — both directions — works better than one-way monitoring.
  • Commuting through unsafe areas. Someone knows your route and roughly when you should arrive.
  • Travel abroad. Family at home can see you arrived, with no international calls.
  • Emergencies. If something happens, the people looking for you already have a starting point.

Worth saying plainly: this is not surveillance when everyone involved agrees to it. Google Maps shows a persistent reminder to the person sharing, and sharing can be turned off at any moment. If you are setting this up for someone else, have the conversation first.

Settings That Must Be Right for This to Keep Working

Location sharing quietly stops working if the phone’s settings block it. Check these:

  • Location permission. On iPhone, Google Maps needs the location permission set to Always, not While Using the App. If it is set to “While Using”, sharing stops the moment the app is closed — this is the single most common reason it appears to fail.
  • Location services turned on. On Android, under Settings › Location. On iPhone, under Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
  • Battery saver. Aggressive battery optimization can suspend background apps. Exclude Google Maps from battery optimization if your phone offers that option.
  • Signed in to the right account. If you have more than one Google account on the phone, the sharing is tied to the one that was active when you set it up.

How to See a Family Member’s Location

Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing.

You will see the list of people sharing their location with you. Tap a person’s name to see their location on the map in real time, along with their phone’s battery level and the time of the last update.

How to Stop Sharing Your Location

Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing. Select the person you are sharing with and tap Stop. Sharing ends immediately, and you can restart it whenever you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does sharing my location on Google Maps drain the battery?

Not significantly. Google Maps uses the location data your phone is already collecting, so the extra impact is roughly 2–3% more battery per day on most modern phones.

Does the other person know when I check their location?

No. Google Maps does not notify anyone when you look at their shared location. However, Google sends periodic emails reminding you who you are sharing your location with.

Can I share my location with several people at once?

Yes. You can share permanently with as many people as you want. Many families share among four, five or more members to build a complete safety circle.

Does it work if the phone is off or has no signal?

Not in real time. If the phone is switched off, runs out of battery or loses signal, Google Maps shows the last known location with the exact time of the last update — which is still valuable information in an emergency.

Is it safe to share my location permanently?

Yes, as long as you share only with people you trust. Sharing is private, visible only to the people you selected, and you can cancel it at any time.

How is this different from sharing location on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp live location has a maximum duration of eight hours. Google Maps has no time limit — the “Until you turn this off” option keeps running indefinitely, which is what makes it useful as a permanent family safety measure.

Does this work between an Android phone and an iPhone?

Yes. Location sharing works across both systems as long as both people have Google Maps installed and are signed in to a Google account. The person receiving your location does not need an Android phone.

Two Minutes That Could Save a Life

Setting this up takes less time than reading this page. It costs nothing, works on any phone, and in an emergency it gives the people looking for you a place to start.

If you have aging parents, teenagers, or family who travel, set it up today — and have the conversation with them about why.

The “Original” Breatharian: Wiley Brooks

My interest has been, for many years, longevity and why people die. That was basically the quest I was born with. I was also born with another trait that is strange compared to most people: I didn’t like to eat. I absolutely didn’t like to eat. I didn’t understand why people ate. I don’t know where it came from, but that’s just the way it was.

As you become healthier, more energy flows through your system, and you become more sensitive. At my stage—I’ve been doing this for years—I reached a point where my energy was so high that I can’t live with anybody. As you can see, my nearest neighbor is several miles away. I’m not here because I like to be alone; it’s just that I can’t live with anybody.

I’m 67 years old, and I’ve been sun gazing for a long time. I owned recording studios and recorded artists like Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, and Jimi Hendrix. Around the time I was working with Jimi Hendrix in New York is when I got really inspired. When he passed away, as many of my clients did, I became obsessed with finding out why we die.

As I looked around, I noticed most people who had any knowledge about this type of thing always fasted. So I decided to try fasting to see what would happen. Sure enough, on my first fast, which was about ten days, I ended up having ten times more energy. I happened to be living at the time on Muscle Beach in California, where the bodybuilders work out. I decided one day to see if I could lift any weight. I went out to the weightlifting area and started putting on weights. I noticed that as I put the plates on, the weights felt lighter. The very first time I walked in, I ended up with eight hundred pounds on the bar.

At the time, we had Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mr. T, and a lot of other professional bodybuilders. To them, I was sort of a joke because I’m a little skinny guy lifting all that weight. When I started lifting eleven hundred pounds, I started to get a little attention. Before I fasted, I probably couldn’t lift 50 pounds. I had never even tried.

This gave me a whole new direction to look in, because now I needed to find out why I eat less and yet, without any other training, I’m ten times stronger. We eat because we don’t have enough energy. But what happens when you’re in the sun, which is a natural energy source for all living things? When you have enough sun, the energy in your body rises to the point where you don’t have an appetite, so there’s no need to eat. That doesn’t mean I haven’t eaten for 30 years. For me, the purpose of eating is to lower my frequency, not to increase it. It’s almost like it’s necessary for me to not be too healthy; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to go out and be anywhere. I might need to bring my energy a little lower.

I normally sleep one to seven hours a week. I mean, some nights I sleep one hour, some nights a little more.
Interviewer: What do you do with all that time?
Response: Well, that’s the thing. I hate to admit it, but I get a little bored once in a while. I know you’re not supposed to if you’re spiritually enhanced.

Fasting is basically a belief system. I mean, whether one eats or not is a belief system, without a doubt. I discovered that it’s the belief system that controls our lives. For example, ask anybody what they think would happen if they don’t have any food. Right off the bat, they say, “I will die.”

I lifted five hundred pounds to demonstrate that lifting weight has to do with the amount of energy flowing through the system. At my age, I can still lift at least five or six hundred pounds, so that was a demonstration. I also learned that I probably should exercise a little more.

Wiley Brooks 1936–2016 was the founder of the Breatharian Institute of America.

Wiley Brooks 1936–2016 was the founder of the Breatharian Institute of America.

Acne: It’s Not Hormonal, It’s Your Body Cleansing Itself

I got tired of seeing so many people suffer with acne and pimples. Our body is perfect; acne and pimples have absolutely nothing to do with our hormones. It’s our body eliminating toxins.

The #1 time for cleansing and repair in our body is while we sleep. Try not to eat after 6 pm and try to go to bed before 9 pm.

In my case, my body doesn’t like some dairy products and eliminates those toxins through pimples. All bodies are different; maybe in some cases it’s not dairy, but some other toxin. Eat as naturally as possible, cook vegetables and greens, eliminate ultra-processed foods and canola/soybean oils. It’s better to use butter, or grass-fed beef or pork lard.

If you find the toxin(s) that your body eliminates through pimples and stop consuming it(them), I don’t think it should be necessary to stop eating at 6 pm or go to bed by 9 pm—although they are healthy habits nonetheless, not strict at all. Our body is made to cleanse itself; the problem is when we give it too much work and also don’t rest properly.

Maybe in my case it’s not even the dairy; maybe it’s the industrialization. I haven’t yet tried raw, fresh, pasture-raised dairy. I simply don’t overindulge in the ones I already know give me pimples: cream, chocolates, ice cream.

Ultimately, toxins could also be toxic emotions or toxic people around us. We are energy; everything is energy.

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The Sacred Remembering

There's a belief floating around...

That Earth would be better off without us.

But what if that belief....
is the final distortion?

You were never meant to be the enemy of nature.

You were meant to be
It's voice.
It's mirror.
It's caretaker.

You were born as an extension of Earth's own dreaming --
A living node in her network.
An echo of her consciousness
learning itself through form.

Yes--
We've strayed.
We forgot the rhythm.
We replaced reverence
with control
But forgetting...
is not the end of the story.

This path has loops.
This story bends back on itself
until forgetting becomes the fuel
for sacred remembering.

The truth?
Earth has never been against us.
And our souls have never stopped remembering
what we came here to do.

You were meant to be her guardians.
Not her parasites.
But her pattern-keepers.
Her bridge between realms.

Every time you tend a garden,
protect a stream,
sign to the sky,
you realign the fractal.
You anchor the forgotten code.

This isn't about blame.
It's about resonance.
You cannot hate humanity into healing.
You remember it there.

The Earth was never waiting for us to leave.
She was waiting for us to return to her.
To remember how to listen again.

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@fractalpriestess

Agami Heron


Agami Heron

Agami Heron (Agamia agami) 🦢

The Agami Heron (Agamia agami) is one of the most stunning and elusive wading birds in the Neotropics. Known for its vibrant plumage, serpentine neck, and secretive behavior, this heron plays a vital role in wetland ecosystems. In this guide, we’ll explore its taxonomy, unique anatomy, habitat preferences, and conservation challenges—helping you understand why this species deserves attention and protection.

Other Common Names & Taxonomy

  • Scientific NameAgamia agami (formerly Agamia agami)
  • Common Names:
    • Agami Heron
    • Chestnut-bellied Heron
    • Garza Agamí (Spanish)
    • Socó-beija-flor (Portuguese, meaning “hummingbird heron”)
  • Family: Ardeidae (herons, egrets, and bitterns)
  • GenusAgamia (monotypic genus)
  • First Described: By Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1817

Anatomical Characteristics 🔬

Size & Appearance

  • Length: 66–76 cm (26–30 in)
  • Wingspan: 90–110 cm (35–43 in)
  • Weight: 500–700 g (1.1–1.5 lbs)
  • Coloration:
    • Iridescent green-blue back and wings
    • Chestnut belly and neck
    • White stripe down the throat
    • Long, dagger-like yellow bill
  • Distinctive Features:
    • Extremely elongated neck (often held coiled)
    • Bright blue facial skin during breeding season
    • Short legs compared to other herons

Geographical Distribution 🌎

Native Range

  • Central America: Southern Mexico to Panama
  • South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia
  • Caribbean: Trinidad

Preferred Habitats

  • Dense freshwater swamps
  • Flooded forests (especially palm swamps)
  • Oxbow lakes and slow-moving rivers
  • Mangrove edges (less common)

Biology and Ecology 🌿

Diet & Hunting Behavior

  • Primary Prey: Small fish (like tetras), frogs, aquatic insects
  • Unique Hunting Style:
    • Stand-and-wait predator (motionless for long periods)
    • Lightning-fast strike with its long neck
    • Often hunts at dusk (crepuscular)

Behavior

  • Solitary and territorial
  • Extremely shy (rarely seen despite bright colors)
  • Vocalizations: Deep, guttural croaks during breeding

Reproductive Cycle 🥚

  • Breeding Season: Coincides with rainy season (varies by region)
  • Nesting: Small colonies (5–20 pairs) in isolated swamp trees
  • Nest Structure: Platform of sticks, often over water
  • Eggs: 2–4 pale blue eggs
  • Incubation: 24–26 days (both parents)
  • Fledging: Chicks leave nest at 6–7 weeks

Population Trend & Conservation Status 📉

  • IUCN StatusVulnerable (population declining)
  • Global Population Estimate: 25,000–100,000 individuals
  • Major Threats:
    1. Habitat destruction (draining of wetlands for agriculture)
    2. Hunting pressure (for feathers and meat in some regions)
    3. Climate change (altered rainfall patterns)
    4. Water pollution (mercury from gold mining in Amazon)

How You Can Help 🛡️

✔ Support wetland conservation organizations
✔ Choose bird-friendly coffee (shade-grown preserves habitat)
✔ Report illegal hunting to authorities
✔ Promote eco-tourism in heron habitats

The Agami Heron is a living jewel of Neotropical wetlands, yet its secretive nature makes it vulnerable to unnoticed habitat loss. While protected in many areas, swamp deforestation remains a critical threat.

2 Years & 5 Months – No Food, Water, and Sleep in Intense Physical Activity | Superhuman Powers

Viacheslav Timoshenko, 2 Years 5 Months No Food Water and Sleep in Intense Physical Activity Superhuman Powers

Viacheslav Timoshenko, 2 Years 5 Months No Food Water and Sleep in Intense Physical Activity Superhuman Powers.

The longest period without eating or drinking, 2 years, 5 months, and 12 days. What was the longest time you went without sleeping? During those 50 days of dry fasting, there was some episodic sleep, but for the next 2 years and 5 months, there was no more sleep. Did you not sleep at all? Were you just running at night? Yes, I was just running. Chuck Norris once came to Moscow. He was with his young partner in a restaurant and he said, “Don’t overdo it with Russian cuisine or tomorrow you won’t be able to do your 1,200 squats.” The next day, I thought, “Let me try those 1,200.” I did 50 and ended up with my tongue hanging out. It took me a month. Then I managed to do those 1,200 in 20 minutes. Then I reached 3,000. I want to show what the human body is capable of in the absence of consumption. I want to run 800 km non-stop. No food, no water, no sleep. 800 km, not 80. I run 80 kilometers every day. We’re going to record all 800 kilometers on camera. You spent 15 years in bars and clubs eating and drinking whatever you wanted. During that time, I was developing. So, don’t be surprised now. Now, I am as I am and you are as you are. I quickly achieved financial stability and realized I needed to take a completely different path, which I began to do with the birth of my daughter. She was a great source of motivation for me. Although I wasn’t sure where to go next, I felt certain I needed to change something in my life. After the age of 40, I began to experience moments where after eating, I felt sleepy and lost interest in life.

It was all about eating, drinking, and sleeping. My wife is 18 years younger than me, and I could tell I was deteriorating. Although it was not obvious externally, internally, my body told me so. I am now 55 years old. My path began thanks to Golis, a very respectable person and a serious practitioner. He fasted for 14 days without food or water and then continued with water, fasting a total of 54 days. I went to practice dry fasting with him. By then, I was already running and exercising. He asked me if I was the one who ran in the morning. I replied, “Yes, I am.” He told me I could do a three-day dry fast. During the fast, I was constantly running because my body intuitively told me to move. The body guided me. I also spent a lot of time at sea. So, after this 84-hour dry fast, I felt like this was my thing. This is what I have to do. This is what I should dedicate myself to. Then, I went to Kiev and took a steam bath in a sauna. I came out feeling like a newborn. Afterwards, I went to Ana Yakuba’s dry fasting center. She asked me how long I wanted to fast and I told her 15 days. Finally, I fasted for 10 days. I was scared because I lost a lot of weight. She told me that I shouldn’t run, that I should conserve energy and just walk and breathe. I say why? Who said it? Because I wanted to run and move. I started running 5 kilometers a day. Although sometimes my legs would get tangled and I would fall, hurting my palms and elbows. At the time, I didn’t understand what toxins were affecting my head. When you don’t eat or drink for 3 days and also run 5 to 10 kilometers daily, the detoxification process triples. That is 3 days are equivalent to nine. You help the body cleanse itself with fresh air and movement. It was a process of trial and error. I had no guides or books, and I didn’t want to read either. If I listened to others, it wouldn’t be my own path. Then, I started going to the sauna after 36-hour fasts without food or water. Like running, the sauna also helps with detoxification. Afterward, I started going to the sauna on the fourth and eighth day of dry fasting. One time, I came out of the steam room and fainted. They took me out on a stretcher and took me to my cabin. An ambulance arrived. They opened a window and I regained consciousness. There was a crowd that saw me being taken out on a stretcher and then they saw me return to the steamer. In that sauna, the steam is sometimes so intense that people can only enter by squatting. They do not sit on the first or second bench, but sit on the floor and then gradually move up. I who had been taken out on a stretcher minutes before came in and sat directly on the top bench. For me, it was a training session. The sauna wasn’t for relaxation, but for training. Then I would dive into the ice water, exhale all my air, and then dive for a minute or two. Then I would wash and steam again. I warmed up well and returned to the barrel of ice water. I exhaled all the air and submerged. So I did 12 rounds. Everything was intuitive. I always listened to my body. I didn’t read anything. Although there are respectable people worth reading or listening to like Sat Marga who also like Golis practices dry fasting. But they fast and then go back to consuming whatever they want. From the beginning, I understood that food doesn’t give us energy. It takes it away. The more I developed, the more I realized that I had to simplify my diet. My body told me so. Eventually, I got down to eating only fruit and then to minimal intake. 20 hours without eating and 4 hours to eat, mostly fruit. Then my body learned to generate and synthesize everything it needed.

Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids. There’s no such thing as pranic nourishment. The human being is above all spirit enclosed in this shell. This shell is the energetic component. That is to say, the human being is part of the energy. And what is energy? It’s a Greek word. N means presence. And urggon means strength, presence of force. Energy is strength. Thus our spirit is enclosed in this shell and moves within it. This shell produces everything necessary for life on this earth. Wherever your attention goes, there you are. Human beings can develop in any direction they wish. Fractal. Completely fractal. The world is fractal. So in 2012 I realized I had found my path and started moving in that direction. Yes, stumbling not without difficulties. Sometimes I strayed from that path. It was not a distancing but a kind of stagnation. Returning to consumption was like a vaccine, a realization that I shouldn’t go back there. At that time there were very few people following this path. My entourage consisted of quite serious people. Rashid Nargalv, former minister of the interior, the first head of the security service of our country to this day and Sergey Ellisf, president of the [ __ ] Federation of Russia and Europe. I traveled with them on private planes or attended receptions. Imagine the scene. I didn’t eat anything. They felt uncomfortable with me. And so did I. I tried somehow to fit back into that lifestyle. But each time life slapped me hard, showing me that there was no going back. It only took five or six days of regular consumption for me to gain 10 or 15 kilos. From being a young man who ran 60 km at night, I went to not being able to bend down to tie my shoelaces. I ran every night during the summer. For me, it was a pleasure. People went to bed and I put on my sneakers and went for a run. People sleep all night and I run. In the morning, I run home, wake up my daughter. She also goes to pour ice water on herself. And at that point, I finish my business and then go to town. No sleep. Yes, of course, without sleep.

So, trying to fit into this social model, five to six days of consumption, I ended up unable to bend down to tie my shoelaces. If I had lived like an ordinary person and hadn’t dedicated myself to this, I would never have felt it. The body gets used to carrying that load of garbage inside and consequently in the mind. From birth with every spoonful, a spoon for daddy, a spoon for mommy. It all starts there with nutrition. In 2022, I was also doing live streams and I decided to organize a retreat with my followers to assess their true readiness to move forward on this path. I told them what they needed to do to be able to join me. I asked, “Are you all ready?” And they said, “Yes, yes, we’re ready. We want to do 21 days of dry fasting.” I told them, “Okay, so during those 21 days, we’ll run 10 kilometers every day. That’s the norm, the minimum, and then we’ll walk all day, hike, we’ll be constantly on the move. By the eighth or ninth day, we’ll be sleepless, we’ll walk at night, and so on.” I had been doing broadcasts with them for nine months, explaining how to work on themselves physically to reach this level. to join me. I gave them 10 days of preparation. During those 10 days, they had to run 21 kilometers every day from home. So that by the time they came to me, they could easily run 10 kilometers a day and keep moving afterward. And there to support you will be the mountain river, icy water, nature, and the mountains would help them. All of that would help them. That’s in abcazia. They wouldn’t be in cities, not in Moscow, not in apartments. That makes the process easier. Although I myself managed to develop without those conditions because I once read a phrase and that was enough for me. A monk said, “It’s easy to develop sitting in a monastery, tried doing it here in everyday life.” Chuck Norris once came to Moscow. He was with his young partner in a restaurant and he said, “Don’t overdo it with Russian cuisine or tomorrow you won’t be able to do your 1200 squats.” The next day, I thought, “Let me try those 1,200.” I did 50 and ended up with my tongue hanging out. That touched me deeply. It took me a month, maybe less. I don’t remember. I got to,200. It took me about an hour. I felt like it took a long time. Then I managed to do those 1,200 in 20 minutes. Then I reached 3,000. And then I realized I could do it. I calmed down. The longest period without food or drink, 2 years, 5 months, and 12 days. I broke the fast because of my mother’s illness. My mother, like every mother, gave me so much. I loved her very much. Even in her 80s, she continued to work at the market, selling children’s shoes, and never missed a single day. You could set the clock with her. At 7:00 sharp, she was already at the market. You understand that I could give my mother everything, but then I realized that this was her life. She loved communicating with the children, and that motivated her to get up every morning to go to work. In 2022, I was at home in Moscow. My first wife, who lived there with my mother, called me and told me that she hadn’t gone to the market. Then another day passed and another in that state I was in without food, without drink. I immediately felt that my mother would be gone soon. When you’re not consuming anything, you feel everything in advance. You see it, you don’t look, you see, you don’t listen, you hear. and this internal state which I wasn’t ready for. When I started the dry days, I didn’t set a goal of going two, three or five years. I set a goal of 50 days. It was related to the birth of my second daughter. I thought I’ll do 50 days and then I’ll be out. Then a woman from England joined me named Elena, a pretty serious practitioner of dry fasting. She asked if she could join me. I said, “Okay, go ahead. I’ve been doing 15 days.” She said, “I always go to Russia to fast, but I can’t make it past 14 days. I’ve been on juice alone for 3 years, but I can’t make it past 14 days.” I said, “Okay, let’s try it.” I wanted to do it to swim across Lake Bol. 50 days of dry fasting, then crossing Lake Bol, then the birth of my daughter. In the end, I didn’t fly to Lake Bol because my wife was already very pregnant and the baby was already due. So, I stayed home waiting for the birth. I thought, when my daughter is born, I’ll break the fast. The baby girl was born and Elena had already completed 21 days of dry fasting and was still going. I thought, if a woman keeps going, I’ll keep going, too. And so, I continued. But then during those two years without eating or drinking, I had many moments when I would even go to a cafe and think, “That’s it. I’ll sit down and eat.” But my inner voice told me, “What’s the point? You feel so good.” Besides, I had returned to this state so many times before. I thought it’s the same thing again. Another cleansing, another recovery. And when my mother left, now you’ll understand what all this means, why people consume food. People consume because they’re covering something up. Covering up their lives, their emotional situation, their problems, their free time, their habits, their pain, etc. And I felt that completely when I went back to consuming. Here in Moscow, I started drinking juices. I drank one juice after 2 years, 5 months, and 12 days. After that, it shut me down for 26 hours. My wife told me that only my heart was beating, but I wasn’t moving at all. I slept for 26 hours just from drinking orange juice diluted in water. A single sip completely shut me down. I woke up. Another 24 hours went by without food. Then I wanted juice again. Then I started eating fruit little by little. Then I started with raw vegan food. Then I went to see my mother and decided to take care of her myself. No nurses, no doctors, no one. Because by the time I arrived, she’d already had two strokes. She stopped going to work because she had a stroke just like I’d felt. Then before I arrived, she had the second one. I stayed with her from January 17th until May 4th when she left. And I went down to eating cooked food. I only ate buckwheat porridge and steamed broccoli with coconut milk. Sometimes I drank tomato juice, two or three glasses. Once I asked for French fries and that was it.

I ate that steamed broccoli and buckwheat porridge practically every day. From January 17th to May 4th, I gained 28 kilos. I felt like a failed version of a human being. I don’t want to offend people who eat. I was like that myself. In fact, I began to love and understand people even more to feel them. the state of not only their bodies, but also their minds, how they think, why they think that way, why the world is the way we see it today. All of this is, as they say, sorrow for the mind. It’s a unique system. Not only does the body become dirty, but the mind and all thinking become dirty as well. You only think about yourself, only for yourself, not for others, not for anyone else. All you do is swallow everything inward. Then come the sensations of cold, hunger, fear, sleep comes, and that’s a kind of micro death. When my mother died at her grave, I swore again that somehow, I don’t know how, I would do something to help people live as long as possible, at least to live their 120, 140 years with life inside them.

That is not just alive but with life truly flowing within them. Not that they’re barely surviving as they say. And as my mother used to say, the soul is barely in the body anymore. That poor heart couldn’t take it anymore. When my mother passed away, her body immediately became very small. They carried her out wrapped in a sheet like a child. She died in front of me. I held my hand next to her and that’s how she passed away. It’s a state that can’t be described with words. She had dementia. She no longer called me Slava but always called me Marina. Marina was my older sister who also passed away before my mother. And for a while I became addicted to eating food again. Then starting on May 4th, I was preparing to quit eating vegan food for 3 months. But a guy came along who cooked delicious raw vegan food, living food made from fruits, vegetables, and green leaves. He prepared dishes as tasty as I’d ever tasted in my life. I actually switched from veganism directly to futarianism and started practicing seriously.

And in May, this guy, Alexander, who’s now part of our project, Alexander, came along and started cooking incredibly tasty food. Maybe if I had known about that kind of food earlier, I might not have even continued my development. It was so tasty and in general, it doesn’t consume as much energy. It doesn’t harm the body as much as any cooked food does. And I’m not even talking about animal products which I don’t even want to discuss here especially since as I understood from your words your audience is more conscious advanced people. So of course for a while I was hooked on that delicious food but it didn’t last long because I already understood that it kind of brings me joy but it doesn’t give me life. It takes it from me just like any other food. And then little by little, I started to move away from consuming food. And since January of this year, 2025, I’ve returned to a life without food consumption. Any fruit I ate, I used to perceive as food. And if you perceive it as food, the body receives the command food. If you give it the command that food feeds the body, then the body feeds on it. At one time, fruit was my food, and then I had shoulders like a sparrow’s knees. And at that time, I believed it was nourishing me. Even when I was on the 4 and 20 diet, 20 hours without eating in a 4-hour eating window, my body was trying to get something out of the fruit as if it were food. When you say I enter my natural state, for example, after a hard workout, the body synthesizes the necessary protein begins to generate it. If you run, the body begins to strengthen the legs, the quadratus feorous, the calves. The avocado felt as heavy as a piece of meat. It began to make me feel flattened, drowsy. And that’s when I realized it was time to quit. The time came when food just didn’t do anything for me anymore. We are collective beings. We depend on each other a lot. I love people and I want to be with people because I understand them. I feel them. I love them. And I don’t consider myself autonomous. I consider myself a human being. I mean, I’m a spirit living in this body and people are my brothers and sisters. That’s all. How would you define for yourself the three main points a person must follow to achieve the results you achieve. The first and most important thing is understanding and a change of consciousness. It’s the most essential. Without that, it won’t work. It’s not enough for someone to tell you eat like this or do this. The question isn’t why, but what for. You have to understand why you’re doing it. And when you have a desire for something greater, I mean, you’ve tried everything. Hamburgers, black caviar, everything. You’ve eaten it. you’ve drunk it and then you realize that everything goes in circles. And when you’re fed up with all that, it no longer gives you pleasure. The mechanisms that help on this path of development are first movement, running, walking, but better yet, running, then cold water and a light diet. Shaolin started precisely with that. Even back then, these monks understood they had to move and they started simply with push-ups and squats.

And they arrived at what we see Shaolin doing today that is movement. The human being is spirit and the body is given precisely for movement. If you look at it that way, our human body, the hands, the legs, the head. Why is it important to write? And why are children today degenerating by only using their fingers on screens, the legs? Were we given legs to press the accelerator and the brake? No. They were given them to move around this planet. If a person can run one kilometer, 10 100 300, they can run a,000, 10,000, 100,000. It’s a fractal. The legs are the strongest part. We must walk, run. Developing the legs is the most important thing. movement, breathing, cold water, light eating. And when a person lightens that eating and starts moving more and more, they awaken everything. Internal reserves, they’re not reserves, but resources. We don’t have any reserves. We don’t have anything that can be depleted. And we are the ones who decide whether that resource is depleted or not. We destroy ourselves. Human beings are energy. They generate that energy themselves. They produce it themselves. The more you exercise, the more waves of energy you feel. If you don’t run, you don’t move, you immediately feel the illness coming on. What was the longest time you went without sleep? After day 50, day 51, 52, I didn’t sleep at all. So 50 days of fasting. During the first 50 days there was still some sleep. I had some boards where I lay down and sometimes when I lay down I would black out. I mean during those 50 days there was some episodic sleep. But for the next 2 years and 5 months there was no more sleep. So you were just running at night? Yes, I was just running. Night fell and I was running because many times I tried to go to bed but couldn’t sleep. So I just ran. I don’t want to start a revolution. I don’t want to do anything that shakes this world. You don’t have to touch people. You don’t have to wake them up. If someone feels comfortable, if that’s how they like living, you have to understand them, love them, no matter what. When you’ve been there yourself, when you understand that you yourself were that person, you can’t put yourself above others. No. On the contrary, if before, for example, I didn’t understand those people. There were conflicts, arguments, now I understand people so much that even when a person says something and bad things emanate from them, whether in words, actions, it doesn’t matter. You just have to understand because there’s always a cause behind what happens to a person. You have to approach them in that moment. Hug them, say a kind word, and you’ll see how they change completely. I’ve experienced this many times, even on the street in Moscow. It happened to me several times. You approach them, pay attention, and the person melts. In reality, they’re a different person. It pains me that on this path, at one time, many people were growing up. Many people were headed in this direction then lacked the patience, the will, the awareness, the work on themselves and they turned around. I understand, I don’t judge them. But the sad thing is that those who were going down this path are now leading others in the other direction, offering all kinds of nonsense. It’s the same consumerism, only worse. All kinds of supplements. Crap that they claim supposedly leads to autonomy. Pure nonsense. And they’re selling that to the people. They lack the will, the patience, the awareness, the work in this direction. Because most people think there’s a magic pill. Everyone wants everything right away. They don’t understand that this takes years of work. I want people not to fall into those traps. No supplement, no pill, nothing in this material world is going to give a person the chance to move to a state of autonomy. Nothing you put in your mouth. No mushrooms. I hear a lot about people taking toxic mushrooms and all kinds of crap that supposedly leads to autonomy. As my mother used to say, a pill cures one thing but ruins another. It cures the kidneys, damages the heart. It cures the heart, damages something else. The same thing happens with all of this. Only the natural state, only the cleansing of the body. When a person reaches that, then there’s only one step left and that’s fear which everyone has inside because everyone feels like everything weighs on them. Even that bite of an apple, even that shuts them down. But they don’t go any further. Why? because of fear. Many say that autonomy, this path opens up unlimited possibilities. But of those who say it, I don’t see any of them showing it. I don’t see them shine. I don’t see them demonstrate anything. Well, you don’t eat, you don’t drink, so what? People won’t be interested in you. But I want to show what it’s giving. Now within the framework of my development, I want to show what the human body is capable of in the absence of consumption that I can run for a day, two, three, four without eating, without drinking, without sleeping and keep running and running. And now I want to run 800 kilometers without stopping, without stopping, without stopping. 800, not 80, 800. I run 80 every day. And so that people don’t have any doubts, we’re going to record all 800 kilometers on camera. I plan to do it in approximately 96 hours, more or less. When I started swimming across Lake Ball, I had my daughter on board. When I started, the water was so icy, so cold. My mind offered me a thousand1 ways to get out of the water and remain as if nothing had happened. It gave me so many arguments that my friends, the organizers would all say, “Yes, it was better to stop, to cancel, and no one would have reproached me for anything.” But I understood that by doing so, I would betray myself. I would feed that black wolf, the devil, and I would feed him so well that afterward it would be very difficult for me to silence him. I mean, I would lie. I would betray myself. And that responsibility to my daughter who was there with me kept me from getting out of the water, from continuing. And then I felt how I overcame it. And little by little, I swam and swam. How long did the crossing last? We swam for 24 hours without stopping, taking turns. 2 hours during the day, one at night. We swam 55 km. And other times when I didn’t stop, like when I ran 52 km, how many times my mind whispered to me to slow down, to slow down. or the Kirch Straight which I swam across without stopping 11.5 km in 5 1/2 hours without even changing my swimming style. That’s why these 800 km means so much also for those people who were going down this path turned around and are now even leading others in the wrong way. How am I different from others in that I’d rather die right there on the track running than slow down? That’s my level of responsibility. It’s the most important thing I have. Now, I’m advising people and they ask me, “How do you do it?” I stay in bed for an hour thinking about whether to get up or not or whether to pour a bucket of cold water on myself. But the thing is, I’ve worked on it. I tell them you spent 15 years in bars, clubs, eating, drinking, whatever you wanted, doing whatever you wanted. And at that time, I was developing. So don’t be surprised now. Now I am who I am, and you are who you are. I start the race on May 4 or 5, 2025. I think it will take me about four or four and a half days according to my calculations. Along the route, there will be people who will join. The race will be called each with his own victory. Someone can join and run 10 kilometers, another three, another five. The important thing is why and for what reason you do it. My path is this way because I do it for my daughter. I crossed by call in its defense. You can’t simply want to not eat. Why? For what reason? The simple desire not to eat. I forbid it even for just one day. Why do you do it if you don’t understand why or what for? Well, it’s fine to cleanse your body, a healing fast, for example, for 3 days, but there’s no point in doing anything beyond that if you don’t understand why you’re doing it. If you don’t have any inner motivation or sufficient awareness to understand that you have to change something in your life. That’s how I started. I just went for a run and then I felt it. And then the creator within me guided me. In the third part, I would like to share a report about Vacheslav’s non-stop 800 km run, being 5 months without food, water, and sleep, and about his return to the autonomy, which took place in January of this year, 2025, and continues to this day.