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Are there any colloquialisms and things I should know about Costa Rican and Panamanian Spanish?

I learned formal Spanish in school, and do well with Ecuadorian and Peruvian Spanish, but have difficulty with Mexican Spanish. My Spanish is not fully fluent, but decent conversationally. So I was wondering if there are words and phrases specific to CR and Panama that would be helpful to know before I go there.

Thanks!

There was a book on Costa Rican Spanish by Christopher Howardx that covered much of the basics of Spanish conversation (which would not be of much use to you) but had a section on variants and slang specific to Costa Rica. Not sure if it is still in print but you may be able to find it at the library etc.

Here are a few Panamanian Spanish terms:

diablo rojo = literally "red devil", the term for a colorfully-painted public bus that used to be an American school bus

chiva = a modified pickup truck used as the local bus

buenos = short for buenos dias
buenas = short for buenas tardes

seco = cane-derived firewater, usually 70 proof

cuara = quarter (as in 25 cents)

chicha = non-alcoholic sweetened fruit drink from a street cart. Not to be confused with the chichas in the Andes that are fermented.