Tico's Agencia Fluvial had grown from a two-canoe operation to one of the largest employers in town, behind only the big timber and oil operations. Tico also owns a hotel, catering largely to the hundreds of tourists a month he takes to his camps on the Tuichi and in the nearby wetlands called the pampas. He still wears the jaguar tooth, but now his clothes are a bit newer than the Rurrenabaque average, and he's a bit more harried than his old compadres on the river. Tico's hard work shows. The trip up the Tuichi is an unforgettable voyage.
Meals are delicious, and usually fresh from the river.
Days are spent walking the jungle trails, swimming the river, following the ever-pointing fingers of our astonishingly knowledgeable local guides. On our final morning, we build a balsa raft of our own and float tranquilly back down the river. All in all, the Ghinsberg effect shows no sign of fading as more operators offer tours up and down these waters. It's part of a general tourism boom in Bolivia. But now a fragile economic renaissance and a stretch of political stability have opened the door to more mainstream travelers, and tourism is increasing by as much as 20 percent a year.