Revisiting El Salvador A Year After Its Bitcoin Adoption

This is an opinion editorial by Rikki, Bitcoin explorer, author and co-host of the “Bitcoin Italia,” and “Stupefatti” podcasts.Everything is all set for another excellent adventure.The knapsacks are packed, the check-in is currently done, the cab is waiting for us with the engine running, outside the front door. Our objective was to get out of the convenience zone of travelers and bitcoin influencers, the normal Bitcoin Beach and capital city of San Salvador, diving into the more remote locations to see if it was actually possible to go shopping and pay in bitcoin in the popular markets of small suburban towns, conference with homeowners of the poorest locations to discover out what they really thought of Satoshi Nakamotos invention.It was an unbelievable journey.We are returning to El Salvador, to see what has altered more than a year after the law was passed. Our trip will take us to explore Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras– all nations where several regional neighborhoods are organizing spontaneously, to attempt alternative economy experiments with bitcoin. After a number of minutes he approaches us and disconsolately tells us that it is no longer possible to pay in bitcoin. When we say we can only pay in bitcoin they look at us in amazement.

This is a viewpoint editorial by Rikki, Bitcoin explorer, author and co-host of the “Bitcoin Italia,” and “Stupefatti” podcasts.Everything is ready for another fantastic adventure.The backpacks are stuffed, the check-in is already done, the taxi is waiting on us with the engine running, outside the front door. Once again.Last year we narrated the adoption of Bitcoin in El Salvador simply a few months after the law went into effect, we are about to cross the ocean. 45 days were spent there without money or credit cards, living solely on bitcoin. Our goal was to leave the comfort zone of travelers and bitcoin influencers, the common Bitcoin Beach and capital city of San Salvador, diving into the more remote areas to see if it was really possible to pay and shop in bitcoin in the popular markets of small suburban towns, conference with residents of the poorest locations to discover what they actually considered Satoshi Nakamotos invention.It was an extraordinary journey.We are returning to El Salvador, to see what has altered more than a year after the law was passed. We will invest an entire month in El Salvador, attempting to live there again by investing just bitcoin. Will it be simpler or harder than last year?But this time we will not be limited to that. Our trip will take us to check out Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras– all countries where numerous local communities are organizing spontaneously, to try alternative economy try outs bitcoin. We are excited to find new horizons and meet new people. We will be backpacking for 11 weeks and we feel privileged. Our plane takes off on time from Milan Linate airport. We have 24 hours of travel ahead of us– 3 stopovers in overall, Frankfurt, Toronto and, lastly, San Salvador. When we arrive at our location it is 8 p.m. and currently pitch dark. Passport control is very quick and in no time we are leaving the airport. An intense, humid heat attacks us. Arrivals are crowded with individuals. The environment is festive, common of Central America. Our taxi is already awaiting us. We scheduled it from Italy. We take a trip with the windows open, browsing. The air is fresh. We reach our destination, pay (in Bitcoin of course) and jump straight into bed. A long sleep awaits us.Source: authorSource: authorDespite 24 hours of travel, we wake up at dawn, typed the face by jet lag.For anybody who concerns El Salvador and desires to live on bitcoin, the priority is one and just one: connectivity. Bitcoin is the webs cash and it depends on the internet. Our Italian SIM cards here are dead, unusable since roaming is so pricey. My telephone company warns me by SMS as quickly as we land that the cost of browsing will be 2$/ Mb. A rip-off. The objective of the day then is to get local SIM cards and obviously paying for them in bitcoin.We try to get our bearings with Google Maps utilizing the hotels WiFi, download a list of close-by phone stores and set off to explore.We do not have to walk long to understand that we have actually miscalculated extremely badly: all around us every store is closed.We stop a passerby to ask for a description and he responds, practically chuckling, that today is “el Día de los Muertos” and that it is a national holiday– we will surely discover everything closed except for a large shopping center down the street.We understand that this is our only hope and we walk on.When we reach the shopping mall it is in fact open but not all the shops within are. The telephone company, obviously, is closed. We ask around and are told that there is a pharmacy open that likewise sells SIM cards. It sounds unusual, but it is worth a try. We walk in and it is true, the telephone companys logo is prominently displayed on the center counter. We ask if we can pay in bitcoin, however the clerk replies that they only accept money. Too bad.Meanwhile, we get starving and notification that several dining establishments have the Bitcoin and Strike logo designs on the windows. We can use the shopping malls totally free WiFi so we select one, and go inside. We let the waiter understand that we are trying to find food however can just pay with our bitcoin. Due to the fact that we see the waiter sticking around and confabulating with the restaurant cashier, he sits us down but we rapidly realize that something is incorrect. After several minutes he approaches us and disconsolately informs us that it is no longer possible to pay in bitcoin. They accepted it for a few months however then offered up. “Too few and too complicated transactions,” he states. We get up and leave disappointed.Source: authorSource: authorThe next day the hunt begins once again. The stores around us are all lastly open and the city is back to the metropolitan chaos we keep in mind so well. We are walking blind because our phones are still not linked so we decide to play it safe and return to those phone stores we had actually currently spotted the day before. There are 4 or five in overall however none of them accept bitcoin. We are impressed; last time we were here it had actually taken us less than an hour to discover SIM cards. The last storekeeper is really great and suggests a big shopping mall, in the center of Colonia Escalon, one of the citys vital ganglia. It is a bit far however worth a try. We understand its our best bet because, he said, there are kiosks and shops for every phone operator in El Salvador. It looks promising.It takes us a little over forty minutes to arrive on foot– the day is a little cloudy and not really hot.We walk through the entryway to the mall into a large lobby and our faces illuminate. There need to be at least a lots telephone kiosks. We start asking. We do not provide a damn about the rates or phone strategies, all we need is connection. Unfortunately, nevertheless, no one desires our bitcoin.We go upstairs and after that upstairs once again. There are lots of little stalls selling phone recharges, inexpensive mobile phones, electronic devices and accessories. But no dice. When we say we can just pay in bitcoin they take a look at us in amazement. They are very respectful and practically all apologize. However they react as if the really word “bitcoin” is something that comes from a far-off memory. As if it is something they havent heard of in a long time. On the leading floor, nevertheless, are the business actual shops. Big display rooms all illuminated and packed with staff. This is it, we think.We start with Claro, the phone giant here in Central America, but their response is that they can offer us top-ups in bitcoin however they cant do brand-new activations. Corporate policies are to blame, obviously. We then attempt the big Tigo store, by Movistar, but get nothing.Our last resort is called Digicel, and we feel like were going to pass out when we see the Bitcoin logo design hanging on the money register. We immediately ask if we can use it to buy three SIM cards. The saleswoman is stunned, asks her exceptional– and the answer is affirmative. This is not an easy thing, apparently. The clerks speak with each other for a minimum of fifteen minutes to discover the gadget on which the Chivo wallet is installed and remember the password to activate the app. Very few Bitcoin transactions are seen here either, apparently. However they lastly handle to generate a Lightning QR code and the deal goes through.We did it: we are connected.Source: authorSource: authorRelative to in 2015, we got here in El Salvador a month earlier. It seems like a small thing, but it makes a big distinction. We are on the cusp of the rainy season. This implies that the weather is capricious to say the least. Early mornings are sunny and generally warm. Typically in the afternoon, within a couple of minutes the sky is covered with clouds and it starts to rain. Rain at these latitudes and in this season is something difficult to describe. It must be seen. An irregular quantity of water is disposed on the ground, all at as soon as. The universal deluge. An apotheosis. A couple of hours later, with the same rapidity, clear weather returns, as if absolutely nothing had happened.Because of this, we have to take shelter, spending a number of hours inside. We seize the day to get some work done. We are planning the remainder of the trip and attempting to rent an automobile, of course paying for it with our bitcoin. We are utilized to this routine by now. It takes a little persistence and a couple of dozen call. None of the huge vehicle rental companies accept bitcoin, however little regional companies typically do. Best to call those directly and forget about Avis, Budget and others.Source: authorSource: authorWord has gone out that we are back in town and a great deal of local Bitcoiner buddies are asking us out. A number of them wish to speak to us about how El Salvador today is back to being reasonably safe, after the fantastic worry triggered by the revival of gang clashes that started in late March. These were terrible months that actually made individuals fear the worst. It all started when the rivalry between criminal gangs flared again and within a couple of days there were almost 100 murders. A flood of blood.Even though the victims were mostly pandilleros, as they call them here, the government might barely sit idly by, and they reacted with an iron fist, stating martial law, releasing authorities and army and arranging a series of unique operations. The months that followed were, we are told, genuinely hard. Journeys were limited to house locations, there were curfews and cities were deserted in the evening. There were checkpoints on suburban roadways and major city byways. It took more than 55,000 arrests to bring the scenario under control. 55,000, in a country of just over 6 million people.It is difficult for us “Westerners” to immerse ourselves in such a truth. It is something unimaginable.To the federal government of El Salvador, obviously, criticism has actually likewise streamed. Many worldwide humanitarian associations denounce a methodical infraction of human rights in jails. There is talk of torture, arbitrary jail time and summary trials.Today the nation is still under a state of emergency. The unique laws have not yet been withdrawn. There are still continuous police operations, we are told, particularly of the more peripheral areas of the country. All cellular communications are obstructed, even ours, and at any time the police can close whole locations without caution, impose curfews, established checkpoints and carry out arrests.But today the scenario is peaceful and we can observe firsthand.It is really hard for us to evaluate, and we are at a loss as far as deciding. On the one hand, we firmly think that cruelty is never justified. We likewise can not deny that we are thankful to see the faces of our pals lastly calm and relaxed, as we delight in the rain.Next week we will leave the capital to gather evidence on Bitcoin adoption in less largely inhabited locations of the nation. We are doing this for our brand-new project, Bitcoin Explorers, which intends to chronicle the effect of this technology all over in the world, particularly in emerging markets. On our Youtube channel you can watch the travelog of this very first Bitcoin-only week spent in El Salvador. If you desire to get in touch with us straight, Twitter or Instagram are our social networks channels of choice.Source: authorSource: authorThis is a guest post by Rikki. Viewpoints expressed are completely their own and do not necessarily show those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.