Chuy is a town cut in half by a street, and the street is a border. On the Uruguayan side is Chuy, on the Brazilian side Chuí, and the dividing line runs along a wide avenue and a line of little stone markers, so that you can walk across the road to buy a coffee in another country. For the rider coming down the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, this is the end of the line, the far corner of the republic, with Brazil beyond and the great flat grasslands of the pampas stretching away in every direction.
The border gives the town its character. Duty-free shops line the main street on the Uruguayan side, selling electronics, perfume, wine and clothes to Brazilian shoppers, and the whole place has a market bustle that the sleepy coast road does not prepare you for. People speak Portuguese, Spanish, and a mixture of the two. If you plan to cross the line with a vehicle, bring your registration and insurance papers and do not take the paperwork lightly. Walking across to a restaurant for lunch is usually informal, but riding a motorcycle across is a different matter.
A few kilometres away stands the Fortaleza de Santa Teresa, a big stone fort begun by the Portuguese in the 1760s, taken by the Spanish, and fought over again. Its star-shaped walls sit on a rise among palms and grassland, with open lawns and long views over the lagoon country, and capybaras sometimes graze nearby. Just beyond is the Bañados del Este wetland reserve, a significant place for birds, with flamingos, herons and swans, and the Atlantic beach at Barra del Chuy, where wind and sand shape the coast.
The ride here follows Ruta 9, a long, straight, mostly well-surfaced road that runs through flat farmland and palm savannah, with little traffic outside the summer holidays. Wind is the main hazard: the Atlantic coast gets strong crosswinds, and a gust at the wrong moment can push a bike across the lane. Weather changes fast, with fog and rain possible even in summer. The best season is from November to March, though January is crowded.
Fuel is easy in Chuy, with several pumps along the main roads. Eat grilled meat and a plate of fish, finish a coffee, and watch the border traffic flow by.