Okay...As well all know, I live in Costa Rica (Which helps since I host the Costa Rican series). Through circumstances beyond my control, I am forced to leave the country every 90 days. For this trip, I chose Panama. After a 6 hour bus ride I arrived at a small town called Sixaola, located in the province of Limon. Now, there are 3 border crossings for Panama through Costa Rica and Sixaola is the least popular. I now know why...After getting off the bus you walk across a bridge and cross the border. This was one of the oldest bridges I have ever seen and I thought I would fall through. (It's actually closed at night because people were falling through) What struck me immediately is the different Spanish that is spoken here (and the amount of English). It has more of a Caribbean flavor. Since I began working with Spanishpod101.com, I have been learning Costa Rican Spanish and I must say, it surprised me that somewhere no more that 300 Kilometers away could have such a completely different sound. I am on an archipeligo named Bocas del Toro. I recommend it highly to anyone who likes the surf, sun, and sand.
http://www.bocas.com/SPANISH/indexesp.htm