Oops I meant to delete the old footer, the group has been defunct for a while now :)
Most of the ES BTC movement kicked off in El Zonte (Bitcoin Beach), where its easy to spend Bitcoin anywhere (there are maybe 10-15 pupusa stands/shops/bars). When I went in December 2021-January 2022 it was great but there were not that many people there. I'd expected more than a couple of Bitcoiners here and there on laptops -- most people were there for the surfing, not the Bitcoin. It was still super useful to use BTC tho because there are hardly any cash points. In El Tunco (20 mins away) there's a bit more of a scene, but not many businesses there accepted Bitcoin. I bumped into a few tourists in El Tunco who were encouraging waiters and bar staff to download LN wallets to tip $5 in BTC, which they loved. From a UX point of view, its really easy to spend at companies that accept it. There are plenty of smaller pupuserias that just show you their QR code on their phone for you to pay them. In San Salvador the Starbucks had BTC's live ticker symbol and all coffees denominated in sats, same as McDonald's. But its also helpful to have dollars. The government encourages citizens to use Chivo wallet, but apparently its buggy so most people use Muun or Blue. I'd expect adoption has increased a lot over the last 18 months there, so its probably even easier now.
Hope to be back for halvening party in El Zonte :)
Thanks I have not heard a ton about the use. I had a vague notion that El Salvadorans were vaguely dissatisfied with the BTC situation but wanted to hear a boots-on-the-ground perspective
Meta lounge link is broken.
Also, how was using lightning in El Salvador from UX point of view? Was it easy enough?
Oops I meant to delete the old footer, the group has been defunct for a while now :)
Most of the ES BTC movement kicked off in El Zonte (Bitcoin Beach), where its easy to spend Bitcoin anywhere (there are maybe 10-15 pupusa stands/shops/bars). When I went in December 2021-January 2022 it was great but there were not that many people there. I'd expected more than a couple of Bitcoiners here and there on laptops -- most people were there for the surfing, not the Bitcoin. It was still super useful to use BTC tho because there are hardly any cash points. In El Tunco (20 mins away) there's a bit more of a scene, but not many businesses there accepted Bitcoin. I bumped into a few tourists in El Tunco who were encouraging waiters and bar staff to download LN wallets to tip $5 in BTC, which they loved. From a UX point of view, its really easy to spend at companies that accept it. There are plenty of smaller pupuserias that just show you their QR code on their phone for you to pay them. In San Salvador the Starbucks had BTC's live ticker symbol and all coffees denominated in sats, same as McDonald's. But its also helpful to have dollars. The government encourages citizens to use Chivo wallet, but apparently its buggy so most people use Muun or Blue. I'd expect adoption has increased a lot over the last 18 months there, so its probably even easier now.
Hope to be back for halvening party in El Zonte :)
Thanks I have not heard a ton about the use. I had a vague notion that El Salvadorans were vaguely dissatisfied with the BTC situation but wanted to hear a boots-on-the-ground perspective
When I went there was definitely an education gap that needed to be bridged, but by and large people were either supportive/ambivalent