Part II Caca in las Bombachas - Lomadas y Badens

Lomadas y Badens

Puerto Madryn may not have any stop signs, but it does have Lomadas and Badens.  Lomadas are speed bumps, and badens are dips.  Sometimes they are marked with lovely signs, and sometimes they aren't, and sometimes they sneak up on you just when you least expect it.

Shortly after we got our car, I offered to drive our friends, Clyde and Luis, to the airport.  They are in their mid 70's and absolutely darling.  I love them both (see blog).  I mentally planned to drive very carefully.  My parents are of a similar age, and I know my driving can sometimes freak them out.

As soon as I turned from Clyde and Luis's residential street and onto the main road, I accelerated while reminding myself not to drive too fast.  I was cruising along at 50-55 km/hour, and we were having a conversation about how to get to the airport, which was absolutely hilarious, because none of us knew where we were going.

As we were discussing our options for discerning directions - BLAM!  We hit a double baden.  That is two huge dips in a row.  They were unmarked, and they sent us flying.  Luis was bouncing around the back seat like a ping-pong ball; the luggage nearly hit the ceiling in the hatch, and Clyde was hanging on for dear life in the front seat.  We had only been in the car three minutes, and I already put caca in las bomachas of my passengers.  Oh-my-goodness.

I apologized profusely, slowed down, and focused on crawling over every bump and dip in the road.  It was too late.  The damage had already been done.  For the duration of the ride to the airport, Luis and Clyde kindly reminded me to slow down each time a lomada or baden loomed in the distance.

I broke a few other laws in the process of finding our way...  I double parked twice while Luis jumped out to ask for directions.  I didn't have my lights on in the middle of the day on the Routa; I missed the turnout for the airport and made a left from the wrong lane thoroughly pissing off the guy behind me, and I had no idea what to do when I came to two flashing yellow lights in the middle of the national highway with people waiting to cross from the aluminum factory.  I slowed down, and prepared to stop - clearly this was before I knew NOT to stop for pedestrians.

Eventually I got Clyde and Luis to the airport - alive.  Clyde texted me an hour later that their plane was late and that they were enjoying a coffee.  I hope they had a shot of brandy in that coffee and a new pair of bombachas.