The state of São Paulo, like the rest of Brazil, is facing a horrible drought. Months have passed with no precipitation. The grass is yellow and the rivers are drying up. It’s a very worrying situation.

Fortunately, our entry into the state brought some luck! The night I entered São Paulo rain started to fall and it didn’t stop for three days. As I rode towards the city of Andradina I got soaked from head to toe. I had a poncho on but as heavy winds blew the rain was coming in from all sides.

“Welcome to Andradina Filipe, I have been following you on Instagram since you left Canada,” Juninho said to me as he waited on horseback.

As the rain thickened we hit the town together. Emma had driven ahead with the support vehicle to spend some time at a local mall. As I reached the mall parking lot I saw the van parked, but no Emma. For the first time on this trip, and in my life, I was forced to tie my horses in front of the mall and walk in with spurs clanking to find my girlfriend… It was a scene straight out of a comedy movie. I found Emma sipping on a warm cappuccino with two bags next to her. I simply smiled as my body dripped water on the marble floor.

With Emma following us, Juninho and I rode to the town’s fairgrounds where other cowboys were waiting for us with Brazilian and Canadian flags up. It was such a nice gesture.

After feeding the boys and speaking to the local media we went to a special ‘Welcome to Andradina’ dinner! Over live music and great food we got to know our new friends. I can’t thank Juninho and everyone in Andradina enough for their hospitality.