It may not usually happen but for some reason on my last trip I couldn't catch a cab to save my life. I even crossed Paseo Colon so I could catch them going in the right direction. It wasn't raining or anything, but for some reason they were all either occupied or didn't see me. I just started walking and eventually just ended up walking back most of the way to the Gulch.
Incidentally, its more like 8 blocks between KFC at Ave. 32 and the end of Paseo Colon at Ave. 16 (since there are only even numbered streets on that side of town). You'll know you're there when you pass the 2 big hospitals on your right. Also Paseo Colon doesn't really come to a dead end per se, but becomes Avenida Central. If you continue straight in 3-4 more blocks you will pass the Mercado Central on your left. If you had turned right where herb suggested you will see Parque Merced (with its sadly gutted church), which would be a nice place to take a moment to rest on a bench if you needed to. Turning left there takes you on to Avenida 2, not a particularly scenic thoroughfare but it does take you by Parque Central. Before you get to there though you might want to take a right on Calle 6 and then bang a left after one block on Ave. 4 so you can check out Centro Masaje then continue down Ave. 4 until you get to Central Park. At that point, depending on the time of day or how hungry you are, you could grab some lunch at one of the many cheap sodas just south of there or take another breather and relax on a park bench or just turn back left through the park and back across Ave 2 until you get to Ave Central. Avenida Central is a pedestrian only walkway at that point and thus much nicer for your return to the Gulch. For that matter, you could take Ave. 1 back from Oasis instead of Paseo Colon. Turning right as you leave Oasis then your first left on Avenida 1 will take you by MP1 shortly after you leave Oasis and by VIP (or MP2) around Calle 24 at which point you can return to Paseo Colon and either catch a cab or continue your walking tour.
BTW, herb's comment about using highly visible landmarks as reference points is a good one. Another thing you can do if you're afraid of getting lost is to bring a map. If the shorts don't mark you as a tourist, then the map definitely will. But Phuck it. If you get lost or too tired to continue you can always catch a cab whereever you're at or by walking at most the 1 block to the nearest major avenida.
I hope some of you found that info interesting. Here is my question for someone else. The last time I was in SJ, I got into taking buses. They're dirt cheap, not that cabs are that costly either. If you know where to go they're easy to catch and leave regularly every few minutes. Cabs will usually pass by whereever you already happen to be and you'll usually have no touble flagging one down or have to wait all, but sometimes, especially when it is raining, they're a little harder to find. All in all not great reasons for choosing a bus over a cab, but the real kicker for me is that it gives me an oportunity to interact more with regular ticos. I should say that I pretty much stuck to buses and bus stops I knew, such as between the gulch and San Pedro or Calle Blanco. Which brings me, FINALLY, to my question. Does anyone know which buses you can take to get to or from the Oasis area and where you can catch those buses?
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