In retrospect it may not have been the best idea, but at the time and given the current, windiness, reported risk of large floating trees and plethora of fishing boats, pair trawlers and pots, the decision was made .... to wait until morning to head up the Rio Para (one of the Amazonian rivers). The sleepless night spent bouncing around was not the most pleasant but once day broke the Amazon adventure was underway. Murky brown waters slowly slid past while motoring upstream, the 25 mile wide river seemed to be on perpetual ebb despite high water coming and going. Finally Soure slid into view up the tributary on the northern shore. Fishing boats gaily festooned with flags, garlands and volumes of shredded plastic littered the shores of the capital town of the Marajoa Island - incidentally the largest fresh water island according to some sources (although how this can be if it is bound on one side by the Atlantic Ocean we are still uncertain...).

Soure is not a place that caters for cruising yachts but nevertheless is very welcoming. We were able to tie the dinghy slightly near to the ferry dock and swim ashore which was effective but damp. Next time the fast ferry dock was selected, much easier until the tide went out and left the dinghy a little isolated. Timing is everything it seems.

Embracing the Brazilian love for parties and music, Soure welcomed us with the blessing of the boats (hence the festooned craft) and the party that followed. Open car boots jammed with speakers boomed local stations and adverts alongside the drivers favourite artists. Transport was varied. From the previously mentioned booming cars, abundant cycles and motorbikes to horse and water buffalos (used by the police in more outlying areas but unfortunately we didn't see them).

Water buffalo play a big part on Marajoa - transport (as previously mentioned), farm equipment for ploughing and the primary source of protein. The choice is buffalo or buffalo really, with the odd bit of very large and very expensive chicken, but lots of cheap buffalo. Anticipating familiar buffalo mozzarella, the local cheese provided a different but not unpleasant experience and would definitely work well on pizza.

Amazonian superfoods are sampled. The Acai berry juice is purchased as plastic bags of deep purple gloop. No instructions given, that we could understand at any rate. Initial taste testing indicated it might be better watered down to a less than wallpaper paste consistency, and maybe a little sugar added. It tastes very grassy. Imagine the sweet tender bits of grass that you scrape with your teeth, and that's very similar, except the grass doesn't stain everything a deep bruise purple.

The island fazenda cater to the infrequent tourists while managing the meat and coconut crops. Visits to coconut plantations, mangrove beaches and opera stages, rain forest waterways and the inevitable water buffalo rides are included, plus meeting a gang of young women who handily translate for us and together we sadly mourn the Brexit.