In 2002, four city slickers set out to build their dream business in the Panamanian rainforest

Jim and Renee Kimball and Jay and Stefania Viola had no construction experience, no modern equipment, no electricity and no skilled labor

What they did have was mud, heat, and plenty of crocodiles

the creation of their eco adventure lodge Tranquilo Bay -- a testament to entrepreneurial adventure in its purest form

used a boat called a “panga” as their pickup truck to ferry tools to the dock under construction

For more than two years Kimball and Viola camped out on a raised platform dubbed “the rancho.”

inside tents, which were attached to a roof

No toilets. No electricity. Lots of snakes and bugs.

The entrepreneurs built the cabanas

Kimball and Viola standing before the first completed cabana

All supplies were unloaded at the dock and then dragged up to the work site

The same method used by builders of the Panama Canal.