Tica Bus to Panama CityRode the Tica Bus from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City yesterday. Good ride. Comfortable bus service. I wrote Travel Tip #6- Avoid International Bus and Train Services earlier to warn against the economic disadvantage of taking international bus services, but I found that these quick, direct buses in Central [...]
Published on February 25, 2008
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Tica Bus to Panama City
Rode the Tica Bus from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City yesterday. Good ride. Comfortable bus service. I wrote Travel Tip #6- Avoid International Bus and Train Services earlier to warn against the economic disadvantage of taking international bus services, but I found that these quick, direct buses in Central America are not that much more expensive. I paid $26 to make Panama City in 15 hours. I probably would have dropped $22 and twice as many hours to take my usually well heeded local buses. Another advantage of the Tica Bus was that I could ride it over night and saved money that otherwise probably would have went towards a bed.
So in the end, the international bus service saved me a couple dollars. I was also really feeling a good jump coming on, so I went down to Panama City as quick as I could!
When it comes down to it, Tica Bus is a good service. As momma of the boarding house says, ¨Tice Bus, que lindo!¨ If the boarding house momma, who is afraid of Chinese people, says that something is nice and not scary, it is really not scary. Tica Bus, que lindo.
I am in Panama City now, watching the CNN news broadcast a story about the winter storms that are hitting my family´s home right now. ¨Freezing rain and sleet.¨I am sweating in Panama. Suckers.
I don´t know why everybody is not in Panama.
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Panama City, Panama
February 22, 2008
About the Author: VBJ
I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. VBJ has written 3706 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
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1 comment… add one
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January 27, 2010, 2:48 pm
Linkflights from America (eg, Atlanta most likely, or Miami) are cheapest to Nicaragua (Managua) & Costa Rica (SJO). I generally hang out in Panama City, which could cost ~$100 more than those. You pay for distance. So for 10-15 hours on a bus,
you save basically $50. Note that Costa Rica has an exit fee, I recall it's like $25, so flying to SJO then taking the bus to Panama City is a wash, plus all that time. If you want to ride a bus and play tourist, I guess that's a reason (I've spent a year or 2 over there, for me its a chore).
Yes the weather…. something to be missed. As I write it's sub-freezing weather outside, wish I was down there in Panama 76-80 F. year-round.
I used to buy cheap clothing in P.C., jeans for under $20, but lately Wal-Mart is getting pretty darn competitive so shopping for threads here or there seems to be a wash.
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