Greetings from a gloomy Sunday afternoon in Puerto Jiminez.
We just got in a while ago from Carate, nursing Elsie along but she is doing actually quite well with only a few more things to do on her her tomorrow before we head to Golfito and then onto Panama.
This side of the Osa Peninsula is also so incredibly beautiful and the forests tall and dark in places that even the GPS goes into night mode and loses sat. contact from time to time.
on Saturday very morning we were awoken by a cacophony of sound from the howler monkeys - these dudes make such an amazing ruckus that reverberates throughout the whole forest.
We also went through lots of rain and at one river crossing Elsie's hood (bonnet) was under water but she has been holding up really good.
In Carate yesterday we met some potential clients and later set up camp on the high water mark on a really beautiful beach.
The ocean currents were really intense and it was hard to stand upright even in the shallow water - the sand was actually a course sand and in 5 minutes, it had scoured one of my toes to the flesh and had to get out.
This morning we woke to a looming storm so we quickly broke camp and headed back to Puerto Jiminez
I hope you enjoy these few pics
Take care ya all
Paul & Angelika

Next Panama

Warm wet and friendly Friday greetings from Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula,

We have had a few more vehicle hassles in the last days that kept our attention in the wrong direction be we have got on the move again and have driven through some truly amazing rain and cloud forests. We have solved the problem of being flooded in the vehicle during the frequent downpours of rain by using a strip of duct tape (this stuff is a low tech winner).

Back to our movements and other stuff, we really met some amazing clients in the small town of Uvita and did site evaluations on two very stunning forest properties, one small and the one large but so diverse in vegetation and features that it was quite breath taking.

Yesterday, in crossing the Osa Peninsula we drove mostly in the rain on a track so studded with potholes, it took us a long time to do the 30 odd Km in mostly 2^nd gear.

At one point I realized we had another problem with the vehicle and we stopped to do an inspection only to find out that our roof carrier with the tent, spare gas & water cans together with our 2^nd spare wheel was so loose that it was on the verge of falling off.

We did what we needed to with the relief that it did not because there was no way Angelika and I would have ever been able to have got it back up again, not to mention the damage that it would have caused on coming down.

Today we head back to the other side of the Osa and will spend a day or so there depending on what we find but expect if all things are equal, we will be entering Panama on Sunday or Monday.

Paul & Angelika

Greetings all, we hope the be in Palmer Notre today but still have issues with the vehicle that needs urgent attention.
If things go well with the vehicle we will also try to push on the Drake bay area.
We can be reached by e-mail krazy@exclusivetents. com or out US mobile +1-520-465-7078.
Will update this again soon
Take care
Paul & Angelika

Greetings from Estrillo Este on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica on our first morning of the Exclusive Tents Expedition.

As you all know we arrived in CR about 10 days ago and expected to get going in a few days.

Little did we know the frustration of the last 10 days to get the Land Cruiser (“LC” aka Elsie) prepared for the expedition.

Without getting into too much detail, the workmanship was so poor that things that were added or repaired had do be redone on numerous occasions, most of this in a variety of backyard workshops of San Jose and not to mention that the smallest repair can take hours to do.

We were fired up to leave yesterday morning but first the brakes needed to be bled as they were rather squishy and the reverse lights redone because of some short in the wiring.

Finally LC was done and with great excitement we loaded her up in a hurry that we could ‘burn some rubber’ and make some distance.

This turned out to be more true than we imagined because we had done less than a Km to realize the rear suspension was too soft and the new tires were rubbing against the vehicle body that it would not be possible to drive any further this way.

Long story short, we found ourselves again in a backyard, huddled in the rain while the dudes extended the rear shackles and inserted an additional leaf into the rear springs.

In the process it was discovered that one of the leaves was clean broken and a replacement had to be cut and fitted, this after we assured by the same guys a day earlier that it would be just fine.

Finally we made our second departure with revived excitement and headed to the mountain passes that would take us to the coast.

Not long into the passes the rain came down, some of it trickling through the back of the dash over our feet making puddles on the floor and shorting out our alarm and whoever knows what else.

Apart from getting used to driving a slightly top-heavy vehicle, we traveled well until the car in front of slammed on brakes to avoid some road digging that was not cautioned and LC was fishtailing all wheels were squealing and the same with the vehicle behind us.

The vehicle in front of as pulled over in his skid giving me enough time to recover and get around the obstruction safely.

Because we departed late we decided to overnight in a small beach hotel for the night instead of the place we had planned on camping at.

Today Sunday, we have decided to take a day off once we get to our camp site and decompress after the last too may days of frustrations.

Tomorrow, Monday the 12^th we will be on the road again and be meeting up with our first appointments and hopefully we will have no further vehicle hassles.

Keep checking on this blog for more updates on our progress.

Paul and Angelika

Arrival in Costa Rica

We've arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica today May 1st. We have meetings with clients in San Jose beginning next week. We are looking forward for the final kitting on the Land Cruiser to begin our expedition to Panama. Keep checking back for further updates.

Paul & Angelika

C.A. Expedition and Other News

Greetings all,

With so much going on, time has been flying by at an amazing rate as we wait to get the Central American Expedition Underway.

Around the 24th of April we will be packing up for the expedition and then head off to set tents up on Grand Cayman Island for a few days.

Thereafter we will head to Costa Rica to pack and prepare for the Expedition.

On arrival we will be spending a few days checking over the vehicle and making the final changes if need be.

The one-week planned diversion to Ecuador that we mentioned in the previous newsletter is now off as the client has postponed the visit without a future date, so we are open to any alternative proposals.

We expect the Expedition to be underway on or around the 5th – 11th of May and departing from San Jose, Costa Rica.

We will keep you updated on our Blog Page on our actual departure dates – Please Bookmark our Blog Page for referencing our Expedition news and progress.

We hope to be updating the blog daily for those not only interested in our Tents and Barefoot Furniture but for those who just simply want to share in the adventure. We will also be posting pictures and video clips of our more interesting adventures and encounters, to the blog.

The kitting out of the vehicle is going well and still on schedule. Some of the additions include a heavy-duty roof rack (to accommodate our custom-made rooftop tent and other gear), security alarm system, winch and recovery gear (sponsored by Overland Experts), 2nd battery & spare tire, snorkel, 31” tires and a few other custom modifications.

See the above picture of Angelika and our 1979 Diesel Land Cruiser, prior to it being kitted out for the expedition.

We would also like to thank our good friend “Homeless” for sponsoring all of our marketing and printed materials and Polar Bear Coolers with their promise to keep our beers cold forever.

Last but not least, we have also been sponsored with inspiring expedition music by the talented Rock Band, The Last Act of Defiance (LAD), their magic constituting a unique mix of
Electric and Acoustic music.

The initial route we will be following from San Jose, will take us to Jaco on the Pacific Coast and east around the Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce past Golfito and then on to Panama.
Once in Panama we will mainly follow the Pacific Coast as best we can around the Azuero Peninsula and then onto Panama City.

We do plan to cross the Panama Canal and visit the area around the Portobelo National Park on the Caribbean side but we will not be going much further east in Panama unless we get any appointments in that area.

In heading back to Costa Rica, we will first head up to Bocas Del Toro for a number of appointments and then onto Port Limon on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. We will then cross through the volcano rich part of Central Costa Rica passing through the towns of Siquirres, Guapiles, La Virgen, and the Lake Arenal area on our way back to the Pacific Coast.

Once back on the coast we will follow the coastline around the Gulf and Peninsula of Nicoya to the remote & less traveled Geotectonic interesting Santa Elena Peninsula, before heading into Nicaragua.

Once we are underway on the expedition we will lay out the routes we will be taking through the rest of the Central American Countries will be traversing (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize and finally through Mexico and back to Arizona).

As we already have close on 50 appointments already set up so please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to schedule an appointment with us to visit with you, even if it is slightly off the routes described above.

We are offering an Expedition Special on the 6-Leg Serengeti Tent that will run through the duration of the Expedition. (See Picture Above)

This tent offer includes a mild steel frame and has a room that is 7.2M x 3.5M (23.7’ x 11.5’), which includes a 2M x 3.5M (6.6’ x 11.5’) area in the rear for the bathroom.

The tent has an overall footprint of 10.5M x 5.1M (16.7’ x 34.4’)

The Serengeti Tent
The Serengeti Tent components consist of the following:
Mild Steel Frame (stainless steel frame is an optional extra)
Shade Fly
Rain Fly
Canvas Tent Body
Tension Chains
Body Poles

For Quotes please contact
Jake directly at jake@exclusivetents.com

Prices will exclude freight, local delivery, wooden platforms, layout, electrical, plumbing, interiors, fixtures, appliances, setup, duties, local delivery and related costs.

Manufacturing Lead Time is about 10-12 weeks.

Though we will be posting all our expedition contact info on the Expedition Blog Page, please also find it below and copy it for future reference.

For those of you who are new to the newsletter, please check the Blog Page to see the past two newsletters and the new Shawu Tent Drawings. Also see the truly beautiful Mabarule Tent – these two tents along with the Kambaku & Mafunyane Tents are named in memory of the Magnificent Seven Elephants.

Expedition Members:
Paul Zway (The Krazy African)
Angelika Kanizsai (The Krazy Hungarian)

EXPEDITION CONTACT INFO:

Exclusive Tents Ltd.
Fax: +1-520-844-1271
Global Mobile Cell: +1-520-465-7078
E-Mail: krazy@exclusivetents.com
E-Mail: angelika@exclusivetents.com
Websites: www.exclusivetents.com and www.barefootinteriors.com
Skype: krazyafrican