We were dropped off by the bus on the outskirts of Ibarra and weren't very impressed with the look of the place. Add to that finding a hostel that was ropey to say the least and asking a lot more than we wanted to pay, we were wondering if it was a good place to be.
We walked into town with the help of locals pointing the way and met a young woman on the street who said to come to the hotel where she worked. It was a lovely hotel right near the square and the receptionist took us to a nice room and said it was $8 each, we said we only wanted to spend $10 for us both and she said 'ok' and we were in. And very happy we might add as it was a really nice room with baño, hot water, tv etc.
We wandered out into the town, by now it was evening and fairly dark but we still explored the two squares that make up the central area. One of the squares was lit up with coloured lights and looked great. Lots of people were out and about and one side of the square had little eateries dotted along it. Also open was a sweet shop where a girl was preparing 'nogadas' (nougat) in small circular wooden boxes with walnut on top, of course we had to try it, it is a speciality of the area and only 50c for the one we got which was about 3 inches in diameter. It was so yummy that we returned and tried the white kind and that was even better.
Things were going so well we thought we better try another thing this area is famous for and that is 'helados de paila' (icecream). Kent had a banana split (just like home) for $1.35 (not just like home!) and Carol had a fruitsalad with cream and icecream for $1.10. Now at those prices and after finding that beer is 57c a small bottle we were seriously tempted to give up any idea of moving on!
The next day we went looking for the bus station to go to our next stop of Otavalo and we ended up getting on a bus to La Esperanza. It was a very interesting trip up into the hills behind Ibarra and wound over a stone cobbled road which must be absolutely trechorous in the rain. It was afternoon and the bus was full and we stood, surrounded by small people (Carol is definitely feeling tall again) wearing the local dress which includes a felt hat worn by both men and women. Children clambered on and off the bus as it wound up the hills and it was a real treat to be in amongst the local life. We went to the end of the line and returned again to Ibarra with the bus.
