We crossed into Botswana from Livingstone, Zambia. Did you know the border is the meeting point of four countries? Zimbabwe Zambia, Namibia, and Botswana. Thanks to the previous lodge that accepted bitcoin, we went on a safari at Chobe National Park, a highlight of our trip thus far. The opportunity to sit and stare at hundreds of animals. Elephants, giraffes, zebras, kudus, buffaloes, and the mighty lions! For all those HODLers (Hold On for Dear Life) out there, spend your ‘sats’ and experience them! We never imagined we’d be able to use bitcoin to see such magnificent creatures.
Our main motive in Botswana was to visit the local community, Ola Bitcoin. Josh, its founder is single-handedly pushing the small community forward. He’s onboarded a butcher, an arcade shop, a web designer, an eco-lodge, and a very nice barbershop. Funny enough we ended up on a double date at this salon and paid in bitcoin! Our wives got pedicures while we got our hair cut. We tipped three of their staff members in bitcoin and even interviewed their owner. The owner was skeptical about the government’s stance on bitcoin yet was open to accepting it from his clients. Why? He saw value in its limited supply. Only 21 million.
Gaborone, the capital of Botswana was developed and not what we had expected. We learned that they are the largest diamond producers in the world by value! Another surprising fact? They have more heads of cattle than they do people. With a population of 2.5M people, the cattle account for almost 2.8M! The meat in this country was by far the highest quality meat we’ve had (a contentious topic with the neighboring Nambia).
Our bitcoin meetup here was a fun one. With only a handful of people in attendance, we discussed many topics and went in-depth when needed. Something difficult to do with a large group as you need to ensure everyone is following along well. This community is a testament that one person is all it takes to bring change. We expect this one-man army will continue to chip away slowly, but surely, to increase adoption!
South Africa is up next.
Sources:
- Botswana mining & minerals. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/botswana-mining-minerals
- Botswana beef. Botswana Meat Commission (BMC). https://www.bmc.bw/botswana-beef/
- Botswana population. Worldometer. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/botswana-population/