I went to Bitcoin Lake in Guatemala | Contribution 3

The first step in building a Bitcoin circular economy

last timeBitcoin LakeAs an activity example, we introduced a micro mining facility that operates ASIC with electricity generated from waste oil.

In this article, we will introduce support for introducing Bitcoin to local businesses.

To create a Bitcoin circular economic zone, firstSend Bitcoins to Residentsis needed. There are many people who do not have bank accounts, and it is not possible for them to purchase on exchanges.The realistic way is to “earn”is.

In Panajachel, where Bitcoin Lake is based, there are many people who run restaurants and souvenir shops for tourists, and provide means of transportation such as tuk-tuks and taxis, so customers can pay with Bitcoin. If you receive it, you can quickly increase the number of Bitcoins that stay in the area.

Bitcoin payments are being introduced at an astounding speed

Below is a map of the center of Panajachel. Orange pins indicate commercial facilities that can be paid with Bitcoin, and there are about 60 as of November 2022.

It was zero in January 2022 when Bitcoin Lake started,60 facilities in 10 monthsincreased to

By the way, in El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as a legal currency in September 2021, as of January 2023, about 40 facilities in San Salvador, the capital, and about 30 facilities in El Zonte, known as Bitcoin Beach, accept Bitcoin payments. Yes (BTC Map).

In Lugano, Switzerland, which adopted bitcoin as a de facto legal currency in March 2022, 125 facilities accept bitcoin payments as of December 2022 (The State of Bitcoin Adoption in Lugano — December 2022). . Behind the rapid expansion of bitcoin payments in the short period of 9 months in Lugano, the city government and Bitfinex/Tether have strong leadership and financial strength, and the aim is to revitalize the local economy in 2020. As part of the promotion activities for LVGA, a unique stablecoin pegged to the Swiss franc that was introduced as LVGA, POS capable of cryptocurrency payments has already been distributed to many commercial facilities.

Unlike El Salvador and Lugano City,Bitcoin Lake, which is not a legal currency, has spread so far with limited funds and human resources (one real community leader) is amazing.is.
Below, we will introduce bitcoin introduction support for local businesses practiced by bitcoin lake.

Distribution of Orange Pills to Business Owners in Operation Roller

orange pill(orenge pill) is a slang term often used among bitcoiners.Excellent content provided for the purpose of promoting understanding of Bitcoinrefers to There is also the verb orange pilling, which means to inform or educate about Bitcoin.

Inspired by the scene in the movie “The Matrix” where the main character is forced to choose between blue and red pills. Blue if you want to return to a peaceful and comfortable but fictional world, red if you know the truth and are prepared to face the harsh reality.

Since many people have a completely different view of the world and life before and after bitcoin, they probably put bitcoin on this red pill. You may have seen the meme of a red pill photoshopped into orange, the color of bitcoin.

Orange Pill.Me

At Bitcoin Lake, business owners will be given a booklet called the Orange Pill, which briefly summarizes what Bitcoin is, the benefits of using Bitcoin for business, recommended wallets, and how to set up the initial wallet on a single A4 page. are distributed to

This booklet is not original to Bitcoin Lake, but produced by an open source project called “Bitcoin for Local Business”.in my living areaPromoting adoption through grassroots activities that support the introduction of Bitcoin into familiar shopsof designers contributing to various open source projectsPedroBitcoiners around the world are volunteering to translate the English version created mainly by

akipponnThere is also a Japanese version translated by Mr., so if you want to take an orange pill at a nearby shopping street or your favorite restaurant, please download it from the link above, print it out and use it.

Local business practiced by Bitcoin Lakeorange pilling strategyis quite simple.of community leadersEliazaris the business ownerSurprise visit without appointmentand hand him a pamphlet and ask if he knows Bitcoin.

The recognition rate of Bitcoin is around 50%, but regardless of whether they are aware of it or not, they will start explaining it verbally to those who show interest (most of them show interest). Since the business owner asks questions along the way, it is not uncommon for one visit to exceed 30 minutes.

You may think that this is inefficient, but as a result of steadily continuing this process, we succeeded in onboarding 60 stores in 10 months. During my visit, Eliazar tried orange pilling everywhere we went.Surprisingly, there were quite a few stores that immediately decided to introduce Bitcoin.. After downloading and setting up the wallet on the spot, you will experience receiving Bitcoin for the first time.Surprised face and smile at the speed of lightning payment.

The moment you stepped on the road to Bitcoiner, this is good to see again and again. There must be something different from Japan, where people only have a premonition of being rejected with “I’m not interested” or “I’ll consider it.”

This video shows Eliazar attaching a “Bitcoin Aceptado Aqui” sign with the Bitcoin Lake logo to a store that has newly introduced Bitcoin payment.

At the beginning of the project, it seems that they tried to hold a meetup for the purpose of efficiently collecting dozens of people to take the orange pill, but the number of participants was small, and the policy was changed.

Bottom-up adoption will progress slowly but surely through such unrefined, down-to-earth activities.

in PanajachelBitcoin signs overflowing in the city.Until then, I was casually looking at it, but it was a proof of the effort that was spent on each one.proof of workI saw it.

Challenge orange pilling

The members of the inspection team, who were inspired by witnessing Eliazar mass-producing Bitcoiner eggs, could not stand still and finally started orange pilling on their own.

I also tried it when I visited San Antonio Palopo, about 15 minutes by car from Panajachel, which was recommended by the locals as the town on the shores of Lake Atitlan where you can see the most beautiful sunset. However, my Spanish was not clear at all, and after all, two intermediate Spanish students who accompanied me took the orange pill.

Their careful explanation paid off,San Antonio Palopo’s memorable first store that introduced Bitcoin paymentIt became San Martin de Porras, a souvenir shop that handles Guatemalan traditional textiles. The map of the Bitcoin beach wallet was also posted at a later date. Please stop by when you visit Guatemala.

Each bitcoiner party chose shirts and stoles and paid in the local currency quetzal, but this time I stayed in Guatemala for only 5 days and wanted to get through with only bitcoins, so I exchanged money for quetzal. I didn’t, so I didn’t have cash.I could have sent bitcoin to my companion and had him pay with quetzal, “Puedo pagar en Bitcoin?” “Can I pay with Bitcoin?”I asked. The woman didn’t know bitcoin, but she called the store owner on the phone.

When I asked the same question to the shopkeeper who appeared, what“Si” “Good”and. However, it was followed by “Bitcoin is like a credit card?”

From here, “No, bitcoin is like gold… Because the total number of issuance and issuance schedule are decided in advance… Using an app called wallet, you can send money without having to deal with banks or credit card companies… .” and the usual explanation begins. Has 10 minutes passed? After completing the explanation,The first question the shopkeeper asked was, “How do you exchange it for a quetzal?”. It makes sense. I don’t think I’m going to save money with bitcoin or shop with bitcoin.

Bitcoin Lake has created a Telegram group that allows P2P transactions, but there are few transactions, and we can not rely on this alone. , is exchanging bitcoin for quetzal.

When I explained this to the owner and gave him Eliazar’s contact information, he seems to have agreed.

One more push. Seeing is believing,It is quicker to have them actually experience sending and receiving moneySo, I told the shopkeeper, “I want to send propina (chip),” and asked him to download the Bitcoin Beach Wallet.

A store owner who creates the first lightning invoice in his life and receives bitcoin.

bitcoin beach walletstablesatsThere is a function calledExchange and store your bitcoin balance for USD-pegged stablecoinsIt is.

There are many Bitcoiners who are hostile to stablecoins, and I am not calm and conflicted. But for now, I have to admit its usefulness.

Although the shopkeeper received bitcoin for the first time in his life, he still can’t get rid of the discomfort. So I asked them to use the stablesats feature. Seeing the numbers next to the familiar $ symbol made me think that the bitcoin I finally received was worth it. They decided to introduce bitcoin payment.

After I paid with bitcoin, he dressed me in a traditional Guatemalan costume as a souvenir. However, it doesn’t suit me, so I still laugh when I look at this photo.

The other woman is American, but her father is from El Salvador and her mother is from Colombia, so it suited her well. The men were more Middle Eastern or Indian than Guatemalan. (Laser eyes are used for privacy protection.)

I am grateful to the shopkeeper who listened to us seriously even though he was confused, overcame our doubts and accepted the bitcoin. After this, the four of us headed for dinner at Panajachel, sharing a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment.

Other members of the mission continued to post reports of successful orange pilling in the chat group.

Through hands-on experience, we can explain to people who have little knowledge of Bitcoin what Bitcoin is, the benefits of receiving payments in Bitcoin, teach them how to use wallets, and approve the introduction of Bitcoin payments. The difficulty of getting it touched my bones. Successful introductions are rewarding, but they are often turned down, so staying motivated can be difficult.

Bottom-up adoption through steady grassroots activities is underpinned by project leaders and participants’ belief in Bitcoin and their mission to bring Bitcoin into the hands of more people. Bitcoin is often likened to religion, but orange pilling certainly has something in common with missionary work.

As I reported here, in El Salvador, compared to the time of my last visit, I got the impression that people’s interest in bitcoin has decreased and the number of commercial facilities that accept bitcoin payments has decreased.

What will Bitcoin Lake look like in a year from now? Unlike El Salvador, I think the number of facilities that accept Bitcoin is increasing. This is because the business owner who introduced Bitcoin made a voluntary decision after convincing themselves.

It wasn’t because the president decided it, or because it was a company policy, or because my boss told me to, but I chose it myself. What’s more, when you’re in trouble, a reliable helper called Eliazar will rush to you.

It’s different from El Salvador, where you can call the helpdesk when you have trouble with a bad government-issued wallet and get a vague answer. Believing in this, I want to visit the site again this year and see it with my own eyes.

In the next and final installment, I will tell you about my experience of making over 50 lightning payments using various wallets, and the issues that emerged from that experience.

Contributor:Teruko NerikiTeruko Neriki

Belongs to VC Fruguru Ventures, which specializes in investing in Bitcoin and Lightning-related startups. “Bitcoin Standard”, “Bitcoin: Why You Can’t Be Bullish”, “Bitcoin’s Way of Walking” translated and published. You can read more about the Bitcoin Institute here.