Purpose of our trip was to get out of Australian winter and to watch as many World Cup games as possible while touring a bit.
Panama City
Stayed at Hotel Marparaiso, $45 per night, AC, TV, small fridge, couch, hot water ,clean, kind size bed. Neighbourhood working class and some restaurants around but not much open on Sun night. Hotel has restaurant attached, basic Panamanian food, huge portions.
Travelled by taxi (NB: my bargaining skills are almost nil) - Casco Viejo $3, Milflores Lock $8, great place to watch canal operations. Beers $2 but lots of happy hours, a bucket of 6 beers for $6 plus tax, Panama or Bilboa. Can drink tap water all over country except Bocas.
Bus to Chitre $9+, 4 hours, saw Miami Mike website, looked promising but when we got there, no private rooms, stayed at Hotel Rita $23, cold water, tiny room. People very friendly, always address you with a Buenos. Went down to Pedasi by local buses, about $7 in total. Sprung for Hotel Pedasito, clean, big flat screen, AC, fan, hot water, small pool, incl beautiful breakkie, either egg omelette woth fruit toast, coffee or huge bowl of musli and fruit. Village is quaint, quiet red tiled roofs, very friendly, beaches a few kms away. Relaxing by pool, guava tree dropping fruit, watched a few WC games.
Bus to Las Tables, then Chitre, then Santiago and then a final one to David, took about 7.5 hours, about $30+. Stayed at Purple House Hostel, $29, just ok but Andrea friendly and full of information, lots of restaurants, bank, supermarket 5 min walk, had fun at Columbian restaurant watching games.
David bus station chaotic, bus to Bocas del Toro, got off at Almirante, cost about $9+, 5.5 hours, then boat to isles $10. Tangara Hostel full stayed next door at Hotel Don Chico, $33, TV, AC, hot water, small room but on first floor with balcony with table and chairs to take in Main Street action. Saw lots of games here, lots of happy hours where beer $1 and cocktails $2, including the coast guard pub. Day trip to Dolphin Cove, Coral cay and the fabulously beautiful Zapatillos cays $30. Hired bikes, saw beaches just outside of town including Saigon.
Becuase I was nervous about all I'd read on this forum about not having a FLIGHT out of Panama for proof of onward travel, I paid in advance for Caribe Shuttle $36 to go to Puerta Vieja including boat to mainland, van to border, guidance where to exit, then we had to walk over a quite long rickety old trestle bridge to Costa Rica where another van awaited to take us to Puerta Vieja. About 4 hours, got dropped at the door of hotel, good value I thought.
Spent 18 days in Costa Rica, will post that report on that forum.