Well actually no, Gerry Rivers aka Geraldo Rivera was born in New York, not in Rivera, Uruguay.
For those of us who, six months ago did not even know it existed, Rivera is a city with a population of 70,000 people on the border (frontera) with Santana Do Livramento (pop. 40,000), Brazil. I recently took a road trip to Rivera to help a friend remodel a store he is opening there. Some say Punta del Este seems like it’s in a different country than Montevideo, the same holds true for Rivera. The one common denominator being….you guessed it, yerba mate.
The drive out of Montevideo began around 8:30 pm(2 hours later than our planned time of departure). I was a bit discouraged because I wanted to see a bit of the countryside but was consoled with the fact I would see more on the return trip. We traveled up Ruta 5, the first part of which is 4-lane highway with well-marked signs. However, Ruta 5 changes to 2 lanes about 20 minutes outside of Montevideo. Even so, the roads are smooth and well-paved the entire way to the border. The approx 500km trip on Ruta 5 runs through the departments of Montevideo, Canalones, Florida, Durazno, Tacurembo, and Rivera.
Along the way you will pass alongside each department’s capital with a turn lane to enter should you wish to do so. Also, at each ‘city’ entrance on the highway there is generally a gas station and a “parada” or roadside restaurant. There were 3 Peajes(tolls) along the way costing only U$S1.00-2.00 each. Traffic was very light and most of the truckers either moved to one side and/or used their turn signal to say it was ok to pass. Left turn signal flashing=don’t pass. Right turn signal flashing=clear to pass. A friendly honk of the horn is the proper way to say thank you once you have driven by.
Always check to see if it’s clear when passing.
Colonial’s note: Oh and I won’t be responsible for any Brits who try to pass a lorry on the wrong side. How do you think Paul Revere got past them?
On to Rivera…
Nestled among hills and bluffs, Rivera is a growing community, due in part to the fact Brazil’s currency, the Real, has strengthened over the last two years and Brazilians flock to the free shops in Rivera. A street commonly called La Linea (the line) divides Brazil from Uruguay with white markers every so often denoting the border. There is no immigration or customs at the ‘border’ and one may pass freely back and forth.
I stayed at a simple hotel on the Brazilian side which cost about U$S20.00/night. Compared to Montevideo most things are cheaper. An all-you-can-eat buffet was U$S3.50. It is harder to find Uruguayan Chivitos but there are many street stands seeling Baurus, a southern Brazil type of hamburger topped with corn and other sorts of interesting things. Even more importantly, a liter of beer at a restaurant is 30% cheaper than in Montevideo. Housing is also cheaper on average, but it can be harder to find manufactured goods. For example, we were short a few 20watt 12volt halogen bulbs and there was only 1 to be found in Rivera. I was told Uruguayans are not allowed to shop at the duty free stores in Rivera so make sure you bring your non-UY passport if you plan on buying perfume, electronics, or booze.
It’s not uncommon to see gauchos strolling down Sarandi (the main street) in their traditional garb. People are very friendly in general and there is even a ‘fair’ where they sell all kinds of things at discount prices brought in via Paraguay, and probably stolen, so I was told. I wanted to purchase something traditional/local but I didn’t have much luck. The nightlife would have been more interesting if I hadn’t spent long hours painting, drilling, shelving, etc., at my friend’s new store. However, I was able to practice my portuguese a bit with some gauchas from Brazil over drinks.
Sunday, on the way back we were stopped by Uruguayan customs 15-20 minutes AFTER we left Rivera, which is normal. A friendly customs agent with a killer bleach blond mullet (sorry mullet lovers I didn’t get a photo) briefly checked our trunk and we were on our way. The landscape was beautiful, rivers, lots of forests (logging is a major industry there), mesas, and rolling hills. Ruta 5 was a bit more crowded Sunday afternoon but no where near as frustrating as Route 63 from Ottumwa, Iowa to La Plata, Missouri. Although, I admit I do miss driving past the What Cheer, Iowa opera house. We rolled into Montevideo late evening in once piece and I was rip-roaring to get at my work on Monday morning.
