Nostr Web Client

While cleaning out a closet, I came across this menu from the Coin Cafe in Phnom Penh, circa 2016. It's a relic from the days when a QR code with a reused address was standard—lols. The Coin Cafe was run by an American, let's call him Mike, and his Khmer wife. Mike was an early bitcoiner, using Bitcoin Core on his laptop as a wallet—a process that required syncing the blockchain for every transaction, which took ages.

Back then, Roger Ver was a hero to many Bitcoin expats in these parts. The fork wars led to a lot of confusion, but Mike put his faith in Bitcoin Jesus and followed Ver to Bitcoin Cash (Trash). Soon after, Mike started dabbling in shitcoins. In hindsight, he should have held onto as much Bitcoin as possible, of course. But things were a lot less clear back then. Mike struggled to make ends meet between managing the Coin Cafe—tucked away in a back alley—shitcoinery and other unsuccessful business ventures.

Eventually, he got caught in a peer-to-peer Bitcoin trade that turned out to be a man-in-the-middle scam. He received $10K from the victim and sent Bitcoin, unknowingly, to a scammer, who then disappeared, leaving the victim demanding his money back at the Coin Cafe. The situation escalated, the law got involved, and Mike decided his best bet was to leave the country in a hurry.

Just another example of how hard it is to hodl. In fact, hodling is the most difficult thing in the world. The simple act of stacking sats away in cold storage is profound if you can keep it up. However, life throws unforeseen challenges our way, and fear and greed are always lurking. So, while you look at this old menu, know that you are doing great. Just keep stacking, don't follow leaders, lower your time preference, and stay focused on the bright and orange. 🧡 💪 🧡