Ibarra is where I'm living.There are about 100,000 inhabitants, but no cinema yet, so the debate continues over whether it is a small city or a big village. It's about 2-3 hours north of Quito, and surrounded by huge mountains every direction. Cloud sits on them in the morning and the afternoon, it's wonderfully picturesque. There was even snow on the summit of the tallest one this morning. The locals are so proud of their weather, it's a pleasant 20 degrees practically every day. They love talking about how much better the climate is here than in Quito.
The population is a blend of mestizos, indigenous, afro-ecuadorians and an increasing number of Colombians. Another favourite topic of conversation amongst the locals is how much safer Ibarra was before the influx of Colombians. Convenience stores, there's one on every block, have the unnerving habit of trading behind bars. To get into my house, there is a locked gate, a metal gate over the front door that gets padlocked at night, and then two locks on the door itself.
During the day time things are completely fine. Except for the school boys throwing waterbombs and buckets of water at passers by for Carnival. I think they give themselves extra points for gringos.
