Packed your Bitcoin? A BTC holiday in Costa Rica goes fiat free

cointelegraph.com:

Passport, sunglasses, beach towel, Bitcoin (BTC)? A BTC enthusiast on vacation demonstrated that the world's largest cryptocurrency could soon become a holiday essential. Eugenio, a Costa Rican Bitcoin maximalist, paid his way on holiday with just Bitcoin in his wallet during a long weekend on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

A hotspot for Bitcoin adoption and real-life whale spotting, the towns of Uvita, Dominical and Ojochal are home to Bitcoin Jungle, a Bitcoin-beach-inspired project, as well as a budding community of Bitcoin-friendly merchants. Eugenio documented his entire Bitcoin holiday to the destination on Twitter. He told Cointelegraph, “The only fiat I had to use was filling the tank [of the car] before departing.”

I just had a 100% #Bitcoin vacation in Uvita, Dominical and Ojochal #CostaRica thanks to the work of @BitcoinJungleCR creating a circular economy and supporting many merchants and business. Zero fiat was used, no banks involved, no trusted third parties, just real hard money. pic.twitter.com/YrcQfIumfx

Eugenio explained that he wanted to support the adoption and to show that anyone can do the same, in a convenient and fun way, "using Lightning Network seamlessly with no payment processors or banks involved."

Eugenio paid for more than his sister’s ice cream: he paid pizzas, coffees, steaks and even a trip to the market for kombucha with Bitcoin.

Reportedly, merchants asked, “would you like to pay with Lighting or on-chain?” On-chain transactions take on average 10 minutes to confirm, are slow, and sometimes costly. Lightning transactions are near-instant, near-free, and are a “win-win for me and for the merchants,” Eugenio explained.

The Lightning Network is quietly catching on, and examples of its adoption