My fellow Calama buddies and I decided to take you on a tour of Calamaland. This cool fellow greets everyone as they leave the airport.
Speaking of the airport....
I can't brag about air quality in Calama. Below is a photo of the government run mine called Chuquicamata with a claim as the largest open-pit mine in the world. "Contemporary" construction began in 1911. It spews sulfur dioxide but the wind is generally blowing away from town -- whew! Because the mine is run by the government and because it is so old, it isn't required to follow the same environmental standards as newer mines. Chuqi is about 20 miles outside of Calama and employs quite possibly around 10,000 Calamenos. Calama's population is around 150,000. The elevation here is approximately 7500 ft.
Here is a photo of our favorite restaurant -- Patagonia. Great steaks!
The statue of Christ in the background was erected in September 2008 -- just before our arrival. You'll notice the artistic attempt here with the beer bottles in the foreground.
We visited one of the cemeteries -- interesting. There are flower vendors just outside the entrance. Families visit the cemetery on weekends and always bring flowers.
Here we were out on the town and ran into Jorge (left, who takes care of all the plumbing needs) and Alfonso (who takes care of any electrical problems where we live.) That is Odessa on the left and Tracey on the right.
A fountain along the pedestrian walkway.
La Iglesia Catedral San Jaun Bautista built in the early 1900s and remodeled in 2000.
We ran into a friend of Odessa's -- we're feeling pretty tall here....
Tracey and me heading to the Feria Modelo.
Here we are at the entrance to the Feria Modelo which is an indoor market where you can purchase almost anything.
The Bookstore!
Anything and everything!
The plastic products tienda.
We couldn't find any pants long enough....
In addition to the Feria Modelo, there is a traveling fruits and vegetables market that moves to different neighborhoods within Calama. This photos shows Odessa, Tracey and Betsy, another of Odessa's friends. Odessa has been in Calama starting on her 6th year -- she knows everyone!
Here we are at the meat store. Tracey was buying a bone for her dog. By the way, I don't buy my meat here.
So, the best place for purchasing fruits and vegetables is the Feria Modelo and the traveling Feria but for grocery shopping -- we go to Lider! We park in the underground garage (which is always a tad uncomfortable because I think we have too many earthquakes (Calamenos call them "tremblers" which I think to them is anything less than a 6.0!). Anyway, we park and then jump on the moving sidewalk taking us up to the grocery store. These walkways are magnetized so you don't have to worry about your full cart rolling on your way back to your car.
FYI: this is where we buy our meat. You are to tip the young people who bag your groceries. We've heard that Safeway is somehow associated with Lider which may explain why we're seeing so many Safeway brand products on the shelves -- woohoo -- chocolate chips and marshmallows! I'm so easily pleased these days....
The circus came to town -- always blowing dust. No we didn't go.
Here we are at the meat store. Tracey was buying a bone for her dog. By the way, I don't buy my meat here.
So, the best place for purchasing fruits and vegetables is the Feria Modelo and the traveling Feria but for grocery shopping -- we go to Lider! We park in the underground garage (which is always a tad uncomfortable because I think we have too many earthquakes (Calamenos call them "tremblers" which I think to them is anything less than a 6.0!). Anyway, we park and then jump on the moving sidewalk taking us up to the grocery store. These walkways are magnetized so you don't have to worry about your full cart rolling on your way back to your car.
FYI: this is where we buy our meat. You are to tip the young people who bag your groceries. We've heard that Safeway is somehow associated with Lider which may explain why we're seeing so many Safeway brand products on the shelves -- woohoo -- chocolate chips and marshmallows! I'm so easily pleased these days....
The circus came to town -- always blowing dust. No we didn't go.
Our niece Dawson sent Flat Stanley to visit us and as we were taking him on a tour of town, school had just let out. I rolled down the window and started waving at the kids -- they loved having their picture taken! All of the schools, public or private, require students to wear uniforms.
There is a food court in the mall (where Lider is located) and this is Kentucky Fried Chicken -- chicken strips and fries -- ummmmm! The dollar amount you see is Chilean pesos so $1,690 pesos is around $3.00.
Here we are returning home.
Here is an aerial photo (compliments of Odessa) of the El Abra Condominiums. Our house is the third one from the left in the back row. There is a small river (Rio Loa) that flows by the Condominiums providing irrigation for ... corn fields!
Here we are returning home.
Here is an aerial photo (compliments of Odessa) of the El Abra Condominiums. Our house is the third one from the left in the back row. There is a small river (Rio Loa) that flows by the Condominiums providing irrigation for ... corn fields!
Torres del Paine National Park -- I'll be pulling information about this location from Frommer's Argentina & Chile, our bible while here in S.A.
This national park's granite peaks go from sea level to approximately 9,000 ft. and are next to the Andes but are a separate geologic formation created around "3 million years ago when magma began growing and pushing its way up, taking a thick sedimentary layer with it. Glaciation and severe climate weathered away the softer rock, leaving the spectacular Paine Massif whose prominent features are the Cuernos (which means horns" [in the middle-right of this picture) "and the Torres" (towers - not visible in this picture). The black sedimentary rock is visible on the upper regions of the Cuernos. Behind the Paine Massif are several glaciers that descend from the Southern Ice Field.
In reference to the severe climate mentioned above, we just missed experiencing the famous hurricane force winds that rip through this region during the spring and summer in South America.
Our trip started by flying from Calama to Santiago and then onto Punta Arenas arriving early evening. We ditched our stuff at our hotel and headed out to see the town. What a difference from Calama. Punta Arenas is the furthest south you can fly in Chile and that isolation in conjunction with a European population fleeing Yugoslavia, Russia, Spain and Italy during World War I make for a Chilean city with a small-town European feel regarding cleanliness and architecture.
The following morning a van picked us up and we enjoyed a 5-hour drive to Torres del Paine passing by lakes filled with flamingos and fields filled with llama-like guanacos and ostrich-like rheas.
We were able to participate in a half-day hike upon our arrival at which time we had the opportunity to experience those fierce winds we had heard about. It was approximately a 2 1/2 mile hike offering grand views of the park and a 800 foot climb -- great way to begin our stay. Upon our return, we explored the walkways around the lodge. Our room was on the other side of the lodge facing the Paine Massif.
This picture was the view from our room.
Our second day in Torres del Paine began at 7 a.m. with a boat ride to the starting point of our hike with our ultimate destination of the Glacier Grey. This was approximately a 7 1/2 mile hike with views of icebergs in Grey Lake, the Southern Ice Field, and the Paine Massif from the back side. We had a picnic lunch and returned by boat offering us a closer look at the glacier wall.
Below is our first view of Grey Glacier. The young lady in the middle was our guide -- Pepa.
