San Pedro: a surprising jewel in Northern Chile The plane lands in Calama, a gritty dormitory town built for employees of the giant copper mine at Chuquicamata. Howling wind blasts dust and loose gravel from The Atacama Desert with such ferocity that I feel I'm being sandblasted - must be good for the wrinkles. www.vancouversun.com/travel/Pedro+surprising+jewel+Northern+Chile/7547602/story.html