Day 3 takes me to Berlin, a small mountain town with a reputation for being the true "Bitcoin City."

Travel: But first, I need to get there. Researching how to travel inside El Salvador isn't easy, as it can be hard to find out which buses go where, when and along what route. But in practice, you just head in the right direction, occasionally ask and things just work out. If you're not on a budget, you can also rent a car or have somebody drive you, but I was quoted $120 for the ~2h drive to Berlin, and am very curious about the bus anyway. From San Benito, I head to the nearest large east-west road and catch the first bus downtown ($0.50, blaring folk music), from where I catch another minibus ($0.25, blaring pop music) to the "Nueva Terminal Oriental," the new Eastern Bus Terminal. There are direct buses to Berlin, but I heard it's not worth waiting for them, so I step into the first bus to San Miguel, which turns out to be a large modern air-conditioned and quiet coach. I ask to be dropped off in Mercedes Umaña, just at the bottom of the hill from Berlin. Finally, I take my last bus for the day up the hill and arrive, filled with anticipation, in Bitcoin City, greeted by a big Bitcoin sign at the town entrance.. From here I can walk to my hotel. From door to door I spent almost four hours on this trip. If you're repeating this and want to save some time and trouble, take a taxi or uber to the bus terminal instead of the local bus. It will only cost you a few dollars more.

First impressions: it's noticeably cooler up here at about 1,000m altitude. The town is densely built, with narrow roads and single story buildings. There are plenty of shops and I can immediately spot a few Bitcoin signs. I'm also immediately spotted by other Bitcoiners walking around the streets as I head to the Bitcoin Center, and then a local cafe. The weekly meetup at the Bitcoin Center is well attended, about 20 people show up. There are locals, a few Bitcoiners who recently made this town their home and two other visitors from out of town. The meetup is held in Spanish and features a panel discussion about working in and with Bitcoin. Another hot topic is the upcoming first anniversary of the Bitcoin Berlin project, which will be celebrated with a livestream, for which volunteers and interviewees are needed. We head to the local Papuseria where we enjoy the famous national street food in great ambience. I did get to use Bitcoin a few times already but will report on that in depth tomorrow!