Santa Cristobal Island
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THE PIER
The day I arrived on the tiny Island of San Cristobal, one of my first thoughts was, “What do people here do for fun?” With eight weeks teaching ahead of me, I needed to know there would be opportunity enough to enjoy myself, so imagine my delight when after only two days I'd received an invitation to party. The event: The opening of the new pier. “Hmmm”, I thought to myself, “How exciting could this really be?” .
In spite of my doubts, there seemed to be a palpable buzz emanating from the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, carrying with it the vague hint that this in fact may be something to look forward to after all. So on the day in question, I donned my best shorts and headed on down with my friends to the major event.
I arrived to find a large gathering of people all wearing big smiles and dancing next to their chairs to the tide of up-beat Latino tunes that flowed from the speakers. We hung around in Muana Coffee bar drinking cold beers and listening to the speeches of various important Islanders.
There was a great atmosphere as the sun shone down then set across the beautiful bay painting the peoples faces with an orange hue. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the jovial atmosphere, but I was still left wondering what all the fuss was about. Ok, I have to admit that I was very impressed with the new public toilets that sat at the top of the Pier, with their small porthole windows and a side mural of Kicker Rocks, but what was it about this concrete construction that could possibly be causing such a stir. The next night I was enlightened.
As I strolled past what was once a building site, the illuminous green glow from the Pier lured me on to its long walkway then all at once dazzled me with its delights. Lit up at night, the water becomes a crystal clear stage for a circus of sea-life, performing tricks for amazed onlookers.
Sea-lions dart around and shoot up from the water, chasing each other like children whilst huge shoals of fish gather round the edges making plopping noises, attracted by the light. Big turtles trudge past, their semi-circle flippers propelling them smoothly through the blue water.
Two glass windows built into the floor provide a viewing deck to the energetic wildlife that teams underneath and you could easily while the hours away playing witness to this free underwater spectacle. As I stood gazing in awe, a huge Manta Ray passed gracefully by with four young sea-lions cubs in tow and left me speechless.
Along the stretch of Pier are wooden benches where you can sit in the shade throughout the day and soak up your surroundings. Again you can witness the ever playful sea-lions jumping high from the turquoise waters or floating lazily around on their backs.
Amongst the black volcanic rocks that sit on the shore you’ll find red Sally Lightfoot crabs crawling about and the odd marine iguana munching away on algae.
Without a doubt, this is something that should not be missed on your stay in the capital of the Galapagos. It's a place where you can relax and a place where you can be entertained, and one of that was definitely worth a party!
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