I’ve been in El Salvador for three weeks now and did 40+
#bitcoin
lightning payments ⚡️
Let me show you around - from my Airbnb, surf classes, Boston, Starbucks, to many more food/drink places! 🇸🇻🧵
1/12
🇸🇻 There is a lot written about bitcoin in El Salvador. But how is it really?
I just came back home after visiting for the 5th time in two years. And I’m impressed. Again.
🧡 No, it’s not hyperbitcoinized. But there are things happening that we cannot ignore.
🧵 1/18
🇸🇻 After my viral post about El Salvador, I received many replies and requests.
A lot of bitcoiners plan to visit in 2024 and asked for tips. So here you go!
𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟰 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿
I just built my own
#bitcoin
Lightning ATM⚡️to insert euro’s in exchange for satoshi’s!
#stacksats
Thanks to
@21isenough
for making this all (open source)!
This is just a compilation. Without too much effort I used my lightning wallet 40+ times in ~ three weeks, ~2 times a day!
Groceries, coffee, dinner, settle up with friends,
@soundfood_sv
meetup, snacks from the gas station and so much more.
El Salvador is winning!! 🇸🇻
I bought my groceries in El Salvador yesterday with
#bitcoin
at Super Selectos 🇸🇻⚡️
💲 More than $100
⚡️ Paid over lightning
⌛️ In less than 2 seconds
💰 For 0,4% fees
🤳 From my non-custodial
@PhoenixWallet
Yes, if you want (!) you can live on a bitcoin standard!
#Bitcoin
changes the world. Or at least: it changed me.
🙍♂️Arnold joined the market in 2016.
👨🏼💻Now 5 years later, I’m not the same Arnold anymore.
Thanks to Bitcoin 👇🏻
1/14
Final thoughts...
I have been thinking that this may sound like a shill or propaganda. But I've spoken to many people, and they all confirm it.
There's *something* happening here. It's real! Hope, optimism, or whatever you call it.
Bitcoin is hope?
El Salvador is hope!
18/18
Wondering how
@chivowallet
is doing? Going nuts🚀🇸🇻
I didn't count, but there are more than 70 persons in the line, waiting to use one
#Bitcoin
ATM.
It's not just this ATM. I have seen several.. some with even more people!
Don't know if they're here for deposits or withdrawals
Has
#bitcoin
in El Salvador failed or is it a success? 🇸🇻
My answer: we just got started, but the future is bright! Let me show you some awesome projects in the country which you should know about.
✨Education, wallets, pos software, developer courses, and much more! 🧵
1/13
Firstly, on a broader country level, El Salvador has been so refreshing.
💥 There’s a revolution happening, but not because of 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
✨ There is a revolution happening, because of 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦.
Many people I spoke, live their lives with hope again.
2/18
As a digital nomad I've visited ~40 countries and lived in ~20 of them.
As a
#bitcoin
educator/copywriter I've seen that there is not just ONE narrative. Bitcoin has ONE HUNDRED of different faces.
Let me share some examples that I've experiences the past years 🧵👇
Secondly, I spoke with a couple of Salvadorians on my flight in, coming from LA. Meeting people in the country confirmed their message:
There is a Reversed Diaspora happening.
They are coming back, starting with recurring holidays but more and more .. to build a new life.
4/18
Instead of having to fight against something, they can make a new beginning.
Comparing that with the polarized West, I must say that the “no oppostion” mindset is quite refreshing.
Like: locals starting new businesses (instead of being extorted by gangs to pay fines).
3/18
The good thing is that I love walking. Which is not a thing that locals do at all.
They take cars everywhere, presumably because it became part of culture when it was not recommended to walk due to safety.
But from what I've experienced: streets are safe, also at night!
6/18
Sometimes I think that I’m falling for propaganda or am bitcoin-biased.
I arrived here August 2021, one month before Legal Tender and had no idea what to expect. Ever since, I’m in love.
But when I verify my feeling with others, they confirm it. El Salvador breathes hope.
7/18
My Airbnb in El Zonte, 4amigos, accepts lightning too.
Pro tip: text them on Instagram so you save Airbnb fees!
Fresh mango, papaya, banana’s and coconut included! 🥭 🥥 🍌 Three dogs included as well! 🐶
3/12
A third thing I saw, is that all improvements bring second order effects. The country is progressing so fast, that traffic cannot catch up.
I have the feeling that it’s getting worse. Is this growth pain?
Also: there are MANY roads, houses & infra being built.
5/18
History is written!
#Bitcoin
Lightning payments for fiat food. Ironic but reality! 🇸🇻
Using
@mynodebtc
which is located 10.000km away in NL, connected over VPN with my
@ZeusLN
wallet, to pay the
@OpenNodeCo
QR code generated by
@McDonalds
for just 10 sats ($0.005) in 10 seconds.
Bitcoin wise, the country is improving as well.
A couple of times I asked merchants to pay with bitcoin (which I always do, even if I don’t see a sticker). Some of them surprisingly accepted sats.
No, it’s not hyperbitcoinized. I know that, I don’t state that.
8/18
🇸🇻 El Salvador has
#bitcoin
food delivery! I just ordered my dinner with sats.
@hifumiapp
is similar to Uber Eats, but it has lightning integrated. So great to see these new platforms popping up!
Gradually, then suddenly!
But it’s about a trend. Things are improving in the right direction!
Just look at,
@BitcoinBerlinSV
and
@Bitcoinpirraya
, two new projects that are integrating bitcoin into peoples daily lives. They didn’t exist yet when I visited half a year ago.
9/18
But there’s more new (for me). I started using
@hifumiapp
, a delivery app that accepts lightning. Never heard about it 5 months ago, but it works flawless.
Same with the
@btcfarmersmrkt
. It started just a week after I left in Spring, but now it’s a real thing.
10/18
But it’s not only about payments. We bitcoiners always look at “merchants” and “payments” as a metric of success.
But the real key in all of this is “education”.
@MyfirstBitcoin_
is doing Gods work here. I can't state that enough..!
12/18
On my last day at the coast it squeezed in a surf class where I paid to my surf instructor with
@Strike
.
“I’ve never had a bad experience with b
#bitcoin
” he told me.
11/12
With independent and impartial bitcoin education, they already introduced bitcoin to thousands of locals.
Just the average person, but also public school teachers. Yes, you read this well: public school teachers! 🔥
2024 is going to be wild!
13/18
Of course I bought crepes, coffee and ice cream at
@MyfirstBitcoin_
Diplomado in Apopa.
Youngsters at their school organized a bitcoin marketplace.
Sats straight going from my
@PhoenixWallet
to their
@blinkbtc
wallet.
7/12
One of the things I like the most about being in El Salvador (and this was my 5th time already) is the community.
It’s like you live in a non-stop meetup. As someone who comes from the Bible Belt, it starts to feel like El Salvador is becoming Bitcoin Belt.
14/18
All in all, I did a total of 140 payments in just two months. On average, that’s ~3 payments a day!
All of them paid from my self custodial wallet. Most of them received in a custodial wallet tho.
Paying to merchants, settling up with friends, sometimes swaps for cash.
11/18
Of course I visited Starbucks several times and experienced very flawless payment experiences with
@IBEXpay
.
Refreshers, cappuccino and more ☕️
Sats the standard!
8/12
Finally, I do really encourage you to take a look as well.
The combination of volcano’s, beaches and cities all in an hour drive from each other, brings something for everyone.
And every sat spent is a sat well spent.
16/18
It happened a couple of times that I started to recognize bitcoiners on the street, coffee places and groceries stores.
Not in El Zonte, but in San Salvador too!
With multiple meetups a week, social events and/or organized weekend trips, there’s never a dull moment.
15/18
For example, I literally played
@blockhunters_
with 40+ different bitcoiners.
Playtesting this
#bitcoin
board game with some many great minds, has brought so much joy!
Just as one little example of "El Salvador being a constant meetup".
16/18
My parents are renovating the kitchen, including the ceiling. So I left a
#bitcoin
sticker there with the date + current price.
It's gonna be fun in some decades, when (new) people will find this again. In disbelief.
2017: Roger Ver (Bcash)
2019: Richard Heart (everything)
2020: Trace Mayer (MimbleWimbleCoin)
2021: Robert Breedlove (Bitclout)
2022: Nic Carter (...)
Who's next one to be cancelled by
#bitcoin
's toxic defense mechanism?
Supermarket Super Selectos accepts sats too. Unfortunately the computer mouse didn’t work, so had to pay with card…
But: technically and theoretically they should be able to accept
#BTC
6/12
Another hike to one of the many volcanoes in
#bitcoin
country El Salvador! 🇸🇻
📍 Cerro El Pacayal, San Miguel
I keep underestimating how beautiful this place is.
Good weather, great people and gorgeous views. There are many more reasons to visit, besides its currency 🙃
Because it is not. I did over 100
#bitcoin
Lightning transactions in El Salvador 🇸🇻 this year, for example.
Fees? Not more than 10 sats ($0.005) on average.
Time? Not more than 10 seconds.
#Dogecoin
? Not needed.
⚡️ 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!
I want to send $1 of
#bitcoin
to all 196 countries on the planet. I need YOUR help!
Reply on this thread with:
1. The country you are from
2. An invoice, or LN address
Please first read the rules below! ⬇️🚨 1/5
A clip from today’s podcast from
@lexfridman
with
@elonmusk
👇🏻
One minute before this, he mentions “layer two solutions like Lightning”. So he obviously knows about it.
But yet, he ignores this solution while trying to make a point (for
#bitcoin
being slow and expensive). Why?
🇸🇻 El Salvador is the only place where merchants accept bitcoin without advertising it.
❌ No sticker, no banner, nothing.
It’s so normal, that you have to ask if you can pay with sats. And if you don’t, you’ll never know.
We are winning. Slowly!
📍El Paseo, San Salvador
Dear
@nayibbukele
,
You did many great things. To your country and to bitcoin. But one thing miserably failed and it affects both of them:
#bitcoin
and El Salvador 🇸🇻
Fix Chivo!
I've experienced "lost transactions", and bitcoin educators like
@jrivasbtc
face these issues daily.
Surprise! Buffalo Wings in El Salvador 🇸🇻 uses
@OpenNodeCo
to accept
#Bitcoin
.
Not Chivo, not IBEX, not Strike.
Good to see. The more diversification, the better!
First time in three weeks (after McDonalds at legal tender day) that I see OpenNode again.
🥳 I'm very excited to share that I joined
@MyfirstBitcoin_
as the International Relations Representative, to work on global 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
This incredible project and its origin has a very special place in my heart.
It started in 2021 in El Salvador👇🏻🧵1/9
Friends, I need a new rabbithole! One that is connected to
#bitcoin
.
I know the Venn Diagram with Austrians, Libertarianism, cypherpunks, digital nomads, psychedelics, carnivores, and more fringe side subjects.
What else? Anything missing?
After being in El Salvador for the 3rd time in a year since the
#bitcoin
law.. I'm thinking:
Why is
@MyfirstBitcoin_
literally the only organisation focusing on education for the mass?
Where is everyone else?
And if you don't want to organize it, where is the funding?
1. Go to a turtle release.
Although many releases are unplanned and just randomly happen on the beaches, you can sometimes visit planned baby turtle releases as well.
Sunset, baby animals and the ocean. Three perfect ingredients for an unforgettable experience!
5 - because of Bitcoin, I value my time completely differently.
It’s the most scarce asset: irreversible and deflationary.
Time is the currency of life. Trade it well. 🕰
Money = time * energy. Preservation of that is a human right. Bitcoin gives every individual a tool.
2. Visit Berlín.
I was surprised by the beauty of Berlín, a city on top of a volcanic mountain. It's a couple of hours drive, but totally worth it!
As the coastline is very hot and the capital quite crowded, Berlín offers best of both worlds. And bitcoin, with
@BitcoinBerlinSV
!
4 - because of Bitcoin, I became a maximalist and minimalist at the same time. Stacking sats every week while living out of a suitcase for months.
Consuming & spending less.
Saving more.
I started as a trader, speculator and shitcoiner. Now I’m a Bitcoiner: DCA & HODL.
It remains so fascinating …
… to send money as a Dutch person to someone from Kenya (who just installed his wallet a minute ago) for ~0 fees within a few seconds.
Borderless. Permissionless. Frictionless.
Bitcoin.
🇳🇱 🫱🏼🫲🏽🇰🇪
Have you ever been in a call with
#bitcoin
educators from 15+ countries?
🇸🇻🇬🇧🇰🇪🇺🇸🇿🇲🇿🇦🇭🇹🇨🇺🇿🇼🇸🇷🇮🇳🇮🇩🇵🇪🇳🇬🇵🇹🇭🇳
I have. The revolution will be: Global. Independent. Collaborative.
Give all of them a follow in the thread below 👇🏼 1/4
14 - …
❌ Stop trading. Stop altcoins. Stop speculation.
✅ Start reading about Lightning, RGB and Drivechains. DCA. Run a node. Make a course. Educate. Zoom out. Forget the price. Follow the Fundamentals.
3. Hike Santa Ana.
In the other side of the country, Santa Ana is maybe the most famous volcano to hike.
It's very doable, also with kids, and offers a beautiful view over the country.
Once arrived at the peak, you can look into the volcano lagoon and smell the sulfur!
8 - because of Bitcoin, I learned about money and monetary policy.
Something I never learned in highschool and university. I didn’t know anything about gold. Neither about inflation. Nor about fiat money.
Thanks
@saifedean
! The Bitcoin Standard rules! 📚
10. Spend sats.
Really! This is a "to-do" which is important. Ask everywhere you go to pay with bitcoin. And go to the merchants that have the courage to accept lightning payments.
Look on
@btcmap
, but also ask around. The more sats in this circular system, the better.
9. Diplomado.
Regularly,
@MyfirstBitcoin_
organizes bitcoin diplomado's throughout the country. It's an event where bitcoiners can verify students and their knowledge about bitcoin.
A perfect occasion to dive into a local community and talk with people. It's so empowering!
4. El Zonte.
Obviously, a must-go! But beware..
@Bitcoinbeach
developed quickly over the past years, so prices increased a lot.
This little town is very serene, quiet and offers the best bitcoin experience. Try to visit during the
@btcfarmersmrkt
and help with Surf Para Todos
7. San Vicente.
Also known as Chichontepec, this volcano is one for maniacs.
I hiked it: 18 km in one day and it took 11 hours. We almost hit an altitude gain (!) of 1500 meters, but the views are gorgeous.
Book your hikes with Magic Trek for local prices and tour guides.
12 Tazumal.
Visit the Mayan ruins in the north-west of El Salvador. They're not the most famous Mayan historical sites, but worth it if you're nearby!
If you're going, combine it with a swim in Lake Coatepeque, not far from there.
10 - because of Bitcoin, I learned about network effects, game theory, cryptography, regulation, governments, etc.
The rabbithole educates you about literally everything. It learns you to connect the dots. To dive into literally everything that you don’t know enough about (yet).
@MadelonVos__
@CryptocastNL
@wmiddelkoop
Ik heb geen vragen, maar al wel vast de antwoorden 😁
En dit zeg ik met heel veel respect en ook na uren luisterplezier! Want we hebben de laatste dagen wel weer gezien hoe economen in de MSM over Bitcoin mogen ratelen. Kudos Willem! ⚡️
3 - because of Bitcoin, I feel free. No mortgage, hardly any recurring costs, ~0 debts.
It’s a choice. A decision to become part of our future system based on sound & scarce money. Exit fiat, join btc.
@MarceMR19
Same here! Paid 90 cents for 2 cups of coffee at Starbucks today with
@MuunWallet
… (I know they do submarine swaps so not fully/only LN, but still…)
5. Don't skip San Salvador.
Surrounded by volcanos, there are gorgeous viewpoints, like Cadejo Montaña or Picnic Steak House with a slide down the hill!
On your way up, take a look at the crater in El Boqueron and eat pupusas at the top (Cafetería Mirador las Alturas).
2 - because of Bitcoin, I became a digital nomad.
And because of that I worked the past year remote from 🇲🇺 🇪🇸 🇵🇪 🇧🇴 🇸🇻 and 🇳🇱.
Exploring the world, finding geographical arbitrage, not being bound to routines nor limited to self-made fences.
8. Ruta de las Flores.
Although I didn't visit this myself yet, this cultural tour seems highly recommended.
I heard good stories about it: take some time, drive around and make many stops, at the Seven Waterfalls, zipline, maze, the small colorful streets and hot springs.
16 - (extra) There are so many things to add.. About Cantillionaires. About Souvereign Individuals. About Autodidacticism. About Selfconfidence. About Antifragility. But I want to end with the quote from my idol
@jonforeman
:
"You can't be yourself if you don't know who you are."
7 - because of Bitcoin, I started to work ‘smart’ instead of ‘hard’. To be able to use my time, instead of wasting it.
Let your money do the job. HODL.
Let your work do the job. Passive income.
Instead of spending your time to do the job. ⏳
#Bitcoin
Island is real! But.. there is more demand than supply. Yes. There are not enough bitcoiners. For real!
Guys, get your sats+suitcase to enjoy a bitcoin only island life in Boracay 🇵🇭 There are no excuses!
@BitcoinIslandPH
@BitcoinIslandHQ
11 - because of Bitcoin, I became a contrarian.
I did always fully trust the bigger systems. I never questioned it. Why? Don’t know… but now it’s the opposite.
First think, before you agree or conform.
Be curious. 🤓
14. La Pirraya.
I've heard great things are happening at Isla La Pirraya, far away from all the other things to visit.
So.. DYOR! And get ready for a very local experience. Or read the thread below.
1. Hi! I'm Quentin, a French🇫🇷 guy that left his country 18 months ago to travel Central America.
Now I’m responsible for building a circular economy in La Pirraya,
#ElSalvador
, together with
@MyFirstBitcoin_
&
@BitcoinBeach
How did I end up here?
This my story 👇
Over the past years I learned SO much translating the following books:
➖The Bitcoin Standard
➖The Fiat Standard
➖Principles of Economics (all
@saifedean
)
➖The Price of Tomorrow (
@JeffBooth
)
➖Thank God For Bitcoin (
@jimmysong
,
@Breedlove22
,
@lylepratt
)
Highly recommended!👇🏻
@DNB_NL
Als je je als DNB bezig moet houden met het ongenuanceerd en onjuist bashen van je grootste concurrent, weet je hoe laat het is…
Finito voor fiat 🤡 Cry harder
6. San Salvador.
But also within the city, there's a lot to explore:
- Centro Histórico
- Iglesia El Rosario
- National Library
- Catedral Metropolitana
13 Meetups.
As the first bitcoin country, there are many meetups. Keep an eye on Eventbrite, and the socials of organizations like Bitcoin Beach and MyFirstBitcoin.
You'll find at least one a week! Dive into local communities and meet other bitcoiners
✨ This was another crazy year as a digital nomad. Let me share my short story of being a bitcoiner in 12 countries in 2023.
🏴🇵🇦🇨🇷🇬🇹🇸🇻🇺🇸🇨🇦🇮🇸🇰🇪🇯🇵🇸🇻🇳🇱
The verdict: there is a strong and hidden force of
#bitcoin
adoption and education is in (almost) every single country!
0/12