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What's up with Calama? We had gotten sidetracked by rivers we couldn't or were too afraid to ford in our little Suzuki 4x4 and by the gorgeous beauty of the hills and peaks in the utterly clear altiplano air and as a result we fought our way into Calama on late on a Saturday evening. The main drag, Sotomayor, where the Lonely Planet told us we might find a hotel, was jammed with aggressive and horn blasting drivers and I let Leslie off to talk to the hotel people while I went 'around the block' far around many traffic-jammed blocks as it turned out.
When I finally returned to the Hotel, Leslie was on the sidewalk and steaming a bit. The woman apparently thought Leslie was a prostitute. Asked if the guy she was bringing, me, was her husband and wanted documentation! We have driven now more than km in Chile from Chiloe to the Atacama desert and we have never run into place with such negative vibrations.
Being rude to customers, thats just a chilean thing! Calama is to avoided at all costs. Ugly, dirty, difficult to find anything, and the people are some of the least agreeable I have met in Chile. Oh yes, you get the privilege of paying double anywhere else int he world for your fun.
