When I arrived in the city of Fernandopolis everything changed. A group of cowboys and cowgirls organized a large “welcome to town” party at a beautiful ranch where the ponies and I rested for two days. From this party on, there was never another dull moment.

“I have been waiting to meet you for two years now son,’ Nhonha, a tall cowboy with a thick mustache said to me as I dismounted Bruiser.

Looking more like a Texan than a Brazilian, this man of giant proportions gave me a big hug and just like that we became brothers. You know when you meet someone and right away you know in the pit of your stomach you are going to be friends for a very long time? Well that’s what I felt with Nhonha! And boy was my instinct right.

“You wont be able to get to Barretos alone, you don’t know how to ride a horse, I will ride with you,” he said with a big smile.

Nhonha is one of those guys who would rather lose a friend before losing a joke. He didn’t stop! It was one punch line after the next. The laughs just kept going and going.

Just like that I gained a partner in crime. He chewed tobacco all day, rode a mule called Favorite and swore like a trucker. It was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better traveling partner as we rode towards Miraflor.

“My friend is going to make lunch for us today,” he would say everyday while we were on the road together.

He had friends everywhere. Nhonha’s humor and company helped me more than he will ever know! My back was killing me at this point and after more than two years on the road, everyday got harder and harder.

After a few days that seemed to fly by, Nhonha and I arrived at Milton Liso’s ranch. Milton had been a good friend of Nhonha’s for many years, and turned out to be another angel who parachuted into my life!

“Filipe welcome to my ranch, make yourself at home… I’m terribly sorry you had to put up with Nhonha for so many days,” Milton said as we all laughed.

I can’t thank Nhonha and his son Neto enough for everything they did for us!