So, hello again! I slept in quite late today—it was around 4 o'clock when I got in bed. There I lay, fully drained and exhausted, finally getting some rest. Jet lag had taken a heavy toll on me and left me tired in both ways: physically and mentally. I woke up at 7:30 and, with the speed of Usain bolt, got ready to leave for my day, which was going to be amazing. By 8 o'clock, the car had arrived to pick me up. We left for Jericoacoara.
Bitcoin Beach Carnival was going to take place. On my way out, my buddy Wando and I met and picked up some nutritious breakfast. He paid the bill and didn't take bitcoin from me. I didn't have any cash on hand.
Around 3:00 PM, we finally arrived. The beach had beautiful sunny weather with waves running back and fro. There, my buddy Wando accepted his first bitcoin. Can you guess who gave him that? YES! I did. It was possible because his friend had offered him a bitcoin card. After paying him, I went inside Satoshi's house and introduced myself to everyone in the squad at the Satoshi residence.
Although I can't remember everyone's names, their kind nature left a mark of positivity in my heart. I recognized how hard-working and disciplined they were. They all loved what they were doing; I could understand how they spoke to me about the topics. The kids were busy working together and manufacturing cute things like small piggy banks and paper wallets. Everyone had their own creative element. I joined and monitored them, wandering from one kid to another and interacting with them individually. It was a great socializing outing for me. This went on up to 5:00 p.m. We also visited the school and the community center where the Lightning Node was running.
The whole experience was action-packed. We walked around the town. We then explored the area in search of businesses that might take bitcoin. I bought a SIM card from the Apple Jerry store we found and used bitcoin from my blue wallet as payment. Blue wallet always comes in handy and clutch for me. Our next stop was at a Pizzeria. We all crave Pizza all the time, no? At first, he refused bitcoin, but later he agreed to accept bitcoins from us. We paid for one pizza with bitcoin and five with cash. YES, we ate a lot. When the food is tasty, don't we all end up eating an extra bite or, in our case, an extra slice? I was accompanied there by Satoshi (Vinicius) and Lewis and another guy whose name, sorry to say, I can't remember. The time was so peaceful and enjoyable for me, ah! Just serene overall.
It was such a breathtaking spot. Imagine you are near a desert, and next to it, you see an appealing beach filled with trees and vibes you want to feel. I was in a paradise, literally. The beauty of this location astounded me and created a memory I will always paint in my head from time to time. We needed a four-wheeler drive to check out the beach. I met Fernando there, and it was a delightful meeting. Fernando was making the switch, traveling from the university to his workplace in a nearby village. The whole up and down was his everyday journey.
The rerouting event from his school to his office was, I'd say, a very insightful event that gave me a whole new perspective and experience. When we reached it, I saw everyone working. I joined them at the table to provide any help I could. It is always good to help. Right, guys? You learn not only new things while doing so but also feel jolly. Several videos were produced that day, and all ended better than expected. We were able to meet everyone, get acquainted with them, have some homemade, flavorful chocolate cake and delicious coffee, and just relax in an atmosphere resembling our living room(s).
The whole trip gave me some spiritual learnings and awakenings to me as well. Afterward, we strolled out to the school and saw a group of female football players. It's pretty common for everyone to play football here because this is Brazil! They played with good expertise; I assumed they practiced daily based on their game. Then, we saw females playing volleyball too! Man, they were more athletic than I was. It was so inspiring to see women play these sports smoothly and easily. The whole area was filled with activities. The school's playground was where we were meant to hold our event. As we were getting everything ready, the pizza arrived.
We had pizza. It was a refreshing break. Lastly, after summing everything up, we were headed to rooms. There was less than an hour left till midnight. In addition, I was obligated to wrap up the geyser grant judging process. I reviewed and replied to the applications one by one. After that, I was just responding to the numerous emails and telegrams I had missed these past few days. It felt good to catch up on my things. Unfortunately, the dressing on my wound had been opened due to all the activity, so I fixed it before it could get worse. The wound was healing pretty well, and besides, I had a wonderful day and was surprised by how many people I met.
From what I can see, this place is a hub for more spiritually oriented-kinds of encounters. Quite a few people helping here do that out of the kindness in their hearts and not for money. They were volunteers of the purest category. They were installing point-of-sale terminals or machines, which was simply another day at the office. From what little I saw, I know that this is the satoshi home, and it's located in the northern part of Brazil.
The distance here is something I just cannot estimate. At first, I felt I was in the Matrix, and even now, I can't shake the feeling that we're in it. It was all so dreamy and so magical. To sum up, all of these people have been like Bitcoin enthusiasts from 2014 to 2020. They all firmly believed in the project's potential and their own. We were all gearing up for this upcoming Bitcoin Beach Festival on February 18th. The day of imbibing success. I will be spending the whole day(s) collaborating with them. Helping, learning and growing, and rising together. Moreover, I plan to repeat today's actions tomorrow and the following days.
To sum it up, I can only say that I had a fantastic time. I had a wonderful time trying to pick up some Portuguese since I could only speak Spanish. Speaking Portuguese would help me connect with more minds. Also, Did you know? There are sandflies here, and if anybody gets bitten by a sandfly, they feel pain and itchiness. Thus, we applied tons of repellant to keep them away and keep ourselves safe. Until we all are here, there will be a meeting every day at 7 a.m. at the swimming pool. Because of my injury, I will probably miss most of these meeting meetings. I still face difficulties and can't go for my run since my leg is sore and swollen.
Tomorrow, I'm going to keep things extremely basic. Now, it's been almost about a week since my last run, and I hope the situation improves soon. I miss the push and rush I get from running, and I want to get back as soon as possible. However, I won't rush because all of us have to preserve our health, above all. So that's how I would end up spending my days here in Jericoacoara, filled with adventure and fun, making me snore at night as a worn-out bum. This was my day 1 in Jericococara, and we'll see how it goes. Very appreciative of Fernando and the group for the invitation. People like him are why more and more people should start and probably are starting to use Bitcoin.
Okay, I'm done for the day. Take care, everyone. Let's meet again soon.
Thanks, Monisha for your assistance.
Thanks to Bitrefill, Geysserfund, and Bitcoin4India for all the support
This is a crowdfunded campaign. If you would like to support:-
https://support.runwithbitcoin.com/
https://geyser.fund/project/runwithbitcoin
Hugs,
Paco