Cattle Trucks and Real Beds

So surprise, surprise, I got way too caught up in experiencing the majesty of the waterfall completely lost track of time. Hannah, another waterfall-enthusiast friend Carly, and myself stayed back for one last jump off the rocks, which turned into 7 last jumps. We ended up having to haul our butts back to the bus in half the time it had taken us to hike to the waterfall in the first place (rough, let me tell you). Sweating profusely, we collapsed in to the bus and promptly fell asleep.

Riding in a Cattle Truck

About an hour later I was woken up by the bus jarring to a stop. We appeared to be in the middle of a forest on a dirt road.
"Well okay children, the bus can't make it any further, so grab your cameras and towels and get off. We're taking a cattle truck to the beach to watch the sunset," our director informed us. We all laughed nervously, exchanging is this a joke? looks, and collected our things. Sure enough, a large truck with a blue tarp-covered bed awaited us, so we all climbed inside (boy was that a snug fit!). We lurched down a pothole-filled road for about 15 minutes, completely unable to see where we were going when all of a sudden the truck stopped. After untangling ourselves from each other we fell out of the truck on to the most beautiful beach I've ever seen (I realize that I've said that about every beach so far, but this one was really the most beautiful I swear).

Because the beach is only accessible via foot or cattle truck tourists never visit it, and as a result it was pristine. The sand was flawless, the waves rolled in perfectly, and the clouds were clearing to reveal the most perfect pink sky.
Amidst our ooh's and aahh's, we realized that our teachers were unloading coolers from the cattle truck behind us. Not thinking much of it (we are perpetually fed here. Seriously, when in doubt, it's snack time) we ripped off our shorts and tshirts and ran to the water. After frolicking for 10 minutes we heard shouts coming from the sand. Turns out the students who were feeling a little water-averse after our scare at Playa Naranjo had stayed on the beach and had decided to investigate the coolers. "Guys! guys! There's beer in here!" We all rocketed out of the water and descended on the coolers. Sure enough, our wonderful, wonderful teachers had packed us a cooler of Costa Rica's finest national beer--Imperial. We each grabbed a can or two and ran back to the water. The next couple hours were quite possibly the most perfect in my life; floating in the salty waves, drinking beer, and watching the sunset.
Once the sun was well below the horizon we all clambered back into our cattle truck, sang songs and laughed the whole bus ride to a seafood restaurant where I had my first brush with ceviche--a raw fish (I had shrimp) dish made with lime juice. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Back at camp, our director broke his guitar out and we continued singing the classics--the Beatles, choice 90's tunes, and a few Disney songs made it in to the mix--late in to the night. The next morning we tore down camp, packed up the bus, and began the long journey to the place I've been writing from for the past 3 weeks; Monteverde.

Margay (I think...) at the WRC

After a brief stop at a Wildcat Rehabilitation Center, our bus pulled into the parking lot of a hotel on the side of a mountain. A hotel? We all looked at each other quizzically, I thought we were living at a research station? I mean a hotel is cool, but unexpected... 
"All right children, the bus can't make it up this hill so--" our professor began
"CATTLE TRUCK TIME!" we all yelled excitedly. He just shook his head at us incredulously.

This is class--leaning about
coffee/banana organic farming from
a finquero with a machete the size of my leg.

"No, it's time to get used to mountain life children. You can put your stuff in the cattle truck, but you, you will be walking to the station from here." 20 minutes after a straight uphill hike, the research station came in to view.
It's a wooden building about 1500m up the side of the mountain that houses all 22 of us, our kitchen and eating room, and our classroom/library/study room where I'm currently typing.

Class time includes eating
fresh sugar cane from the
 machete-wielding man's farm
when you're in Costa Rica.

I live in the cloud forest, so frequently we're completely engulfed in clouds and it's impossible to see out the window, like right now for instance. Sometimes during lectures clouds will come streaming in through the windows, and when the sun sets the clouds turn pink--it's like I live in cotton candy!
Days here are always different based on whether class is being held in the forest, in the classroom, or somewhere around the grounds of the field station. However, they all follow a general formula structured around meals (shocker: my life revolved around food!). Breakfast is at 7am, followed by class until snack time at 10.

Milking Cows is a part of class in Costa Rica and Wisconsin

Then we have more class until lunch at noon, a siesta until 1pm and more class until 2 when we leave for our classes at the Spanish immersion school down the mountain.

Guitar-player and Professor Alan
 "eating" an owl butterfly--also class.

We have class there until 4 when it's, you guessed it, snack time again! Class ends around 5:45 and a huge van takes us back up the mountain for dinner by 6pm.
 I get to sleep in a real bed (on the top bunk where the dreams are better, obviously) and take real showers. There is always a HUGE pot of hot coffee in the kitchen and someone does my laundry and cleans my bathroom.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I am a princess.

Laying in the middle of the road for a comical photo op while you're
supposed to be collecting data for a group project--class.