The insurance office is located in Ibarra at the named site (N 00°2047.8 W 78°0753.8). Colonial Seguro sells us a third-party-insurance for a month although the lady at the reception claims something different in the beginning and I nearly want to leave. A SOAT is available for one month or one year only. We receive a paper and a sticker for the windshield to show the police from far that we are insured. The costs for an RV shall vary between five and seven dollars, we pay 5.09 $. Since 2000 Ecuador uses the US$ as only valid currency. A couple of hundreds of yards south to the insurance office a mall is situated with a supermarket of the nationwide Maxisuper chain (N 00°2046.4 W 78°0807.3).
Generally food in Ecuador is slightly less expensive than Colombia, but prices are subject to strong fluctuations. Especially inexpensive are cheese and produce with many varieties. Meat is o.k. in price, bread in comparison insolently expensive. A loaf of coloured (wholegrain) or uncoloured white bread gives you 4 $. Alcohol is very expensive with nearly one dollar for a small bottle remember we are in a third-world-country with very low incomes. Maybe the current president wants to solve the ever-present alcohol problem (everywhere in Latin America) in his country that way? In the mall you can find all mobile phone providers to get SIM chips for your phone, or air cards as well. We are lucky that Julius sells us his USB modem that he doesnt need, so we save a lot of money. In Ibarra you can overnight at the PS gas station N 00°2139.8 W 78°0643.2. We prefer to go back the half hour to Julius to barbecue with the entire family.