By the time Sarah, Santiago, Ariel and I arrived at the Nicaraguan border, Sarah decided to ride on!

“Im going to ride with you until Granada,” she said as we approached the border.

After traveling by myself for most of the past year, the news really excited me. As we arrived in El Paraiso, the last Honduran town, we found a ranch for the horses and stayed at a guest house.

At 3 in the morning I was awaken by 2 men carrying large bags outside my room. Only 300 meters from the border, those men were most likely smuggling something north. Only god knows what. As I looked outside my window I could see their shadows walking down a dirt road that goes up the mountain towards Nicaragua. That same road led Sarah and my ponies south the next morning.

After spending $200 dollars at the border, Sarah and I found ourselves on Nicaraguan soil… Without a penny  in our pockets or food in our stomachs, we began riding south towards Ocotal.

“I really hope this town is not too far because we don’t even have money to buy a water,” Sarah said.

As we rode down a windy road for hours, we came upon a man waving his arms in the distance. As we got closer he told us he was waiting for our arrival. We were surprised. Turns out our friends from Danli had called friends in Ocotal and they gathered at a ranch before the town to welcome us.

With cold beers and delicious meat, 8 ranchers welcomed us to Nicaragua with open arms.

“We are so happy to have you here in our country,” David Lovos said as he handed me a toña.

After talking to my new friends I discovered David’s cousin, Jaime, had studied in Brazil and even married a Brazilian woman.

“What a small world! You can stay with my wife and I in Ocotal, she will love meeting you,” Jaime said.

For the next two days we rested in this beautiful town with Jaime, his wife and his friends. It was an amazing entrance into this beautiful country.