Gaucho country

Backpacker

After plenty of sun and sand we set our sights on the less travelled route towards the north. A city named Chuy, which is shared by Uruguay and Brazil served as our starting point. We slid under the wire and spent the day on the Porto Alegre side of the border. During our brief stay we managed to fit in an authentic Brazilian barbecue. The buffet itself was not particularly special other than having wild boar and probably too many chicken hearts on the menu. Obrigado!

Maldita matera

We left Chuy early the next morning and found ourselves spending a good chunk of our day in Treinta y Tres awaiting an onward bus. After a couple of missed opportunities earlier in our travels it was here that we finally got our hands on the perfect matera. With our new acquisition we can now sip yerba maté to our heart´s content.

The triple threat

After spending a night in Melo and devouring some chivito we were on the move again. This time at the early hour of 6:45 a.m. Tacuarembó was our next stop and we were now in the heart of Gaucho country. Pants tucked into knee high boots and berets galore. Not the pause for photos type of crew but the real McCoy. Here the plaza had a different version of Artigas, along with two other important figures in Uruguayan history, Lavalleja and Rivera.