– I actually didn’t want to come out, Flamini told the Reuters news agency shortly after she saw daylight for the first time in 500 days. Smiling and wearing dark sunglasses, the Spanish extreme athlete, Beatriz Flamini emerged from the cave she has spent the last year and a half of her life in, without both a shower and contact with the outside world. Outside the cave, she is said to have said that time just flew by. – I was sleeping when they came to pick me up. I thought something had happened and asked, already? Voluntarily isolating himself, Flamini went down into the cave, located in the Spanish province of Grenada, on November 20, 2021 and resurfaced on Friday this week. The reason for the somewhat special stay in the cave is an experiment proposed by the woman herself. She wanted to research how complete isolation and disorientation affect the perception of time, circadian rhythm and sleep and what neuropsychological and cognitive changes occur during such a long stay underground. PASTIME: In the cave, Flamini spent his time painting, working out and knitting. Photo: DOKUMALIA PRODUCCIONES / Reuters No contact from the outside The premise of the experiment was that Flamini should not be contacted by anyone from the outside while she was in the cave. Food, batteries and any medication were therefore delivered via cave climbers who carried this down without seeing or speaking to the woman. Didn’t know how long it had been. Down in the cave, Flamini didn’t have a watch with him. Without daylight it was also difficult to keep track of the days. At the start, she must have tried to keep track of the number of days, but after day 65 she lost count. In the end, the only thing that could help her keep track of time was her period. SIMPLE ROOMS: The food she brought down was processed on a simple gas stove Photo: DOKUMALIA PRODUCCIONES / Reuters Flamini also had a PC and a router and two GoPro cameras with her down in the cave. This way she could send videos of herself out of the cave to the team of psychologists and experts who assessed her state of health based on these. But the team had been asked not to make contact, even in the event of a death in the family. – No contact is no contact, regardless of the circumstances. Those who know me respected that, Flamini said according to Reuters. 1,000 liters of water Although one would think time alone in a 140 square meter cave with 12 meters below the ceiling passed slowly, Flamini had plenty to do. To pass the time, she worked out, knitted and read. According to Reuters, she should have read 60 books and knitted woolen hats. Flamini drank around a thousand liters of water during his time underground. OUTSIDE: Flamini at the exit to the cave she has gotten to know well over the past year and a half. Photo: JORGE GUERRERO / AFP Out of the cave for six days Although Flamini says that she was comfortable in her cave, there were also several challenging moments. Among other things, the cave was at one point invaded by flies. During the little over a year and four months she was isolated underground, she was only out of the cave once. This is due to noise from the router. Flamini then lived for six days in a tent right outside the cave. She will then only have had brief contact with one person. – You must be quite aware of your feelings. It’s natural to be afraid, but you can’t let the panic take over you, she says about time alone. FILMED HIMSELF: Via a GoPro camera and a PC, Flamini sent videos to the health team outside. Photo: DOKUMALIA PRODUCCIONES / Reuters Didn’t want out When asked if she ever considered canceling the attempt, Flamini replied: – Never. I didn’t really want to come out. What Flamini was most looking forward to when she came out of the cave was to finally take a shower and eat fried eggs and fries with friends. – I’ll tell you how it was down there, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take a shower first. I haven’t felt water on my body for a year and a half, said 50-year-old Flamini, laughing as she came up from the hill. Afterwards, the experiment will be followed up by researchers at the University of Granada and a sleep clinic in Madrid. The experiment will eventually also become a documentary series.
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