Coca was hot and steamy even at 7:30 in the morning, and in an instant we were covered in sweat. Awaiting the arrival of Max, our task for the morning was to find the tour company he had been in touch with, River Dolphin Tours (RDT), secure a trip, get rubber boots and sleep mats and meet Max at a fancy hotel he´d picked for our hopefully happy reunion at 1pm. Sounded easy enough...

It didn´t take long, however, before we realized that we hadn´t a clue where anything was. We wandered the town in a haze induced by both a lack of sleep and the shock of being back in the heat. Like us, nobody had much of an idea what or where RDT was, until some guy informed us that it had moved to an unknown location. OK, thanks!

No Internet cafes were open that early, so without any leads we collapsed on a bench near the river, giving up our quest for now. More precisely, I gave up the quest... Meanwhile, Silje had spotted a sign in a restaurant across the road saying "We Arrange Jungle Excursions". Coca is a small town, so we were hoping these people would have some idea as to where we could find RDT, or at least tell us whether or not it existed.

"Sure", said the friendly owner, "let me give them a call, someone will be here in 5 minutes to meet you. Make yourselves at home."

I now believe in miracles.

Ramiro appeared right on time, and from that moment we were escorted around to sort out everything we had planned to do and more. Max appeared right on time and our team was complete. We were all set for a 7-day river trip in a dugout canoe, camping and exploring the Hoarani Tribe Reserve. During our 7 days in the jungle, the likelihood of meeting other travelers would be just slightly higher than the likelihood of meeting hostile members of the "uncivilized" tribe further down the river. To be honest, though, after our quasi-adventure-experience in the Guatemalan jungle I didn´t expect much "roughing it" or other action.

Despite the oppressive heat I fell right asleep at the hotel, and couldn´t get up for Ramiro´s pre-trip briefing. The main point of the meeting was to let us know that we were going on a "real adventure" and that it would be unwise to pick up tarantulas, snakes and other insects and animals we didn´t know what were.

Thanks Ramiro!

We (or Silje and Max) were also given a background on the Hoarani Tribe*, whose settlement we would visit for "cultural exchange". According to Ramiro, the Hoaranis are paid off by oil companies in return for exploiting their land. Easy money has made them lazy, and all but stopped their cultivation of native foods and other products. The owner of RDT lived with the tribe for a while and watched their cultural decline. He became intent on helping them reclaim some of their lost traditions as well as getting better nutrition from going back to traditional foods, and thus donates a portion of his profits to the Hoaranis. We would travel with a Hoarani, as well as a guide and a cook.

*According to my Ecuador Guidebook, tourist visits have had nothing but a negative effect on the Hoaranis, who are abandoning their old ways of life and losing their identity because of the contact they have had with the western ways (also including oil companies, of course). The guidebook claims that the Hoaranis see tourists as intruders and cash machines, and receive them with reluctance, sometimes hostility. If I had read this before the trip, I would definitely have reconsidered. If I had gone despite this information (which I highly doubt), it would definitely have influenced my view and experience. I left without any expectations, and came back with many opinions...