This
is a
custom
designed trip for baseball players.
It's a one of it's
kind trip to provide a baseball vacation to China with
these type of
activities. Baseball
is one of many mediums between our cultures and the Chinese have become
very good at it. We'll eat like an emperor every day at local
restaurants, stay at nice hotels, be entertained by a full time agenda,
see some great
sights and Play Baseball, Chinese style.
|
Trip
is open
to any adult person who plays baseball.
The average age of
our
adult teams is usually in the mid 40's with players ranging in their
20's
through their 60's. This
trip is also available for players of any age. The Baseball
Academy will be playing with other Chinese nationals of similar
age and abilities. Players, coaches, wives, girl
friends, family
members, kids and tourists
are all welcome. We'll be limiting ourselves to a maximum of 14
players.
We will need 3-4 good pitchers, a catcher or two and some good
position
players. Come as a team or come as a pool player and join the
team.
You
will
need a valid passport and be able to obtain a tourist visa.
|
| The
trip is far
more economical than any travel agent could do.
This
is a unique opportunity that we have for local Chinese baseball
associations to sponsor
us and give us use of their fields, teams and parks. China is
a fairly economical country to visit even with the recent inflation and
merging of a middle class. It has a stable socialist
economy
with costs somewhat less than in the US. We'll be
going at a
reasonable cost that includes first
class
treatment in every step of the way. The trip will include
all
lodging, ground transportation, all baseball, all tours, lots of
sightseeing,
shopping sprees, and all breakfasts, lunches and dinners. |
Most
every day
we'll tour a different area, see the local attractions and play a local
baseball team. Some evenings will have evening outings or
dinner banquets.
Occasionally there may be joint meals with the local teams that
will
allow the Chinese and USA players to get together, swap stories and
make
new friends. You'll find baseball enthusiasts of a variety of age
groups and levels.
They are eager to meet and play ball with you.
Don't
be just
a tourist, be an International Baseball Ambassador, get to know
the people not just the postcards.
|
Baseball
Baseball
has become a major sport in China. Recently, China beat Japan,
Taiwan and Korea in the Asian Games. Baseball is played by all
ages in China from youths to adult leagues. There are a number of
fields, small stadiumsd some school facilities that have baseball fields.
Major league baseball recently built a new baseball academy along with
the NY Yankees just outside of Shainghai. There are also new
fields and stadiums from the recent olympics. I am working on
trying to get us games at both these new facilities. We will be
playing against local teams of your age group and
abilities.
This
will be our chance to help bring American style baseball to them.
We'll
be starting our trip with our first 3 games in Beijing. We'll
also have a couple of days off
for sightseeing and travel. We will travel to Shanghai for our
last 2 games. Our
team
will
be made up of US players from various leagues and organizations from
all over the country.
Transportation
You
will need to make your own flight arrangements to Beijing (PKG) and
from Shanghai (PVG). The flight from Beijing to Shanghai is about
2 hours and included in
this tour package. Once in China,
you'll be met at the airport and transported to our hotel for check
in.
We will have a guide, translator and team bus
that will transport us to
the games, different venues, activities, meals and tours at each of the
cities we visit.
Upon
departure,
you'll
be transported to the airport and assisted by the tour guides.
|
|
Food
Breakfasts
are included with the rooms at the hotels. Mostly they will be
continental or buffet breakfasts. Chinese hotels generally offer
both
Japanese and American style breakfasts. Though they may not be
all you are used to at home, they are close and do the job.
Lunches and dinners are also included and will be at various
restaurants and at the
hotel. Each day we
will explore a different place for lunch and dinner.
This trip should
be an Epicurean Delight if you like real Chinese food. You will
find there will be more to eat than you dare. Many of the dishes
are different than what you are used to seeing but there is plenty of
it and a lot of variety. Watch out for those black 100 year old
eggs, they taste like they sound. I've also requested that a
few meals be at Western restaurants to give us a break and variety of
diet. There are plenty of good restaurants from which to
choose both American and Chinese. There are also several
restaurants in our hotel in Beijing including a TGI Friday and a near
by Starbucks. In Shanghai, besides the hotel resturants, there are
others within easy walking
distance in Shanghai.
Food
in
China is very good. Traditional Chinese food is similar to what
you might get in the US but not as spicy and certainly more
variety. There is lots of seafood, vegetables and of course all
the basic fast food places you are used to in the USA, including, KFC,
McDonalds, Dunk'n Donuts, Pizza Hut and more. There
are
also many international
options that include French, Italian, American, Japanese and
Indian.
|
Entertainment
While
in both the capitol city of Beijing and Shanghai, you'll find lots of
night time
entertainment including discos, plays, night clubs, movies, theater and
lots
more. You'll
be overwhelmed by all the choices and activities. We'll have an
agenda that will
occupy you every day and some evenings. We'll also have some time
for you to explore on your own in each city. For one evening, we
will be attending a Chinese Acrobatic performance.
China
is one of the best places to shop in the world. You will find
tourist things available almost everywhere we visit. You will
also find many beautiful pieces of art, jade, silks, ceramics,
textiles, pearl and lots more.
Bargaining is part of the Chinese culture so get used to it. You
will find every vender has a calculator and will gladly show you how
much he will reduce the cost just for you. Shanghai is my
favorite
place to shop.
With the baseball, tours and your own outings, you'll be exhausted by
the end of the trip. Sleep when you get back to work.
|
Sightseeing
After
our
first
day of arrival, we'll be playing baseball in the morning and doing
extensive
sight
seeing after the games. We'll
visit some of the most attractive and interesting places of these
interesting cities and their surroundings.
Beijing
and Shanghai are both
metropolitan cities with lots of new buildings, great restaurants, lots
of historical areas and beautiful surroundings. We'll spend time
visiting some of the
must see historic sites. Each day will consists of playing
baseball and visiting the many areas of interest in both Beijing and
Shanghai.
Beijing
is the capital of China and where we'll visit the Great Wall of China,
Tiananmen Square, Ming Tombs, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace
of the Emperor. In addition, we will probably visit the Cloisinne
Factory, Silk Alley, the Pearl Factory and the new Olympic Facilities.
In Shanghai, we will visit the
Pearl Tower, Old Town Shanghai and have a shopping spree at Nanjing Lu,
one of the most famous shopping areas in Shanghai.
At
typical day will
consist of morning game, lunch with afternoon and evening tours.
Some days, there will be an evening activity. Other days, we may
tour in the morning and play in the afternoon. You'll have
lot's of
opportunities to see the cities as well as the surrounding areas.
There will be some full days off
for touring. You are of course free to
go out on your own in these cities, just let us know.
|
Accommodations
When
you
travel a long distance to a foreign land, you want a comfortable place
to stay. Each city has a variety of hotels from which to
choose. We'll be
staying
in at least 4 star hotels, depending on who rates them. The
hotels are
all modern with the necessities and amenities you are accustomed
to. Chinese rooms are much like American rooms in terms of
size and amenities.
In Beijing, we'll be staying at the very modern Beijing
Friendship
Hotel. This is a 4-5 star hotel with several restaurants,
bowling,
tennis, swimming pools, gardens and much more. There are many
restaurants and stores nearby if you decide to visit these on your
own. It is
located in the Zhong Guan Cun High-tech Garden area, near many tourist
sights and universities. The downtown area or just about anyplace
in town, is an easy taxi ride if you decide you want to do this on your
own.
We'll be having our breakfast and several dinners at the hotel
In Shanghai, we'll be staying at the newly renovated Olympic Hotel.
This is
located in the downtown area of Shanghai next to a large sporting
complex and basketball stadium. The rooms are modern and there
are restaurants in the hotel where we will be having breakfast and
maybe some dinners.
Requirements
This
trip is for
amateur baseball players. Most our players are members of local
amateur baseball leagues. Ages ranging in the teens through the
60's. Average age of the teams is generally in the
mid-40's-50's. Wives, family
members, kids or
other tourists
may also attend as this is a family friendly trip. You will need
a valid passport and be able meet visa requirements.
|
Schedule
and Agenda
This
trip is scheduled to take place in mid June of
2008. Most flights from the US will be all day flights
arriving in Beijing late afternoon. We'll
start the
trip the day you arrive at the airport in Beijing where you will be met
at
the
airport by one of the travel agents who will help you get to the hotel
for check in. This
first day will be devoted decompressing a bit with a welcome dinner at
the hotel. If you arrive early, you can spend some of the day
walking around Beijing or seeing some sights on your own. All
other scheduled activities will begin the next day.
If you depart on the last day of our trip, you will want to depart from
Shainhai Pudong International Airport. It may be an evening or
morning flight depending on your airline. Either way it should
will get
you back home the same day. You are, of course,
welcome to
come earlier or
stay later on your own. If you do, you'll be responsible for your
own transportation, food and accommodations during those times. A
preliminary detailed agenda is shown
below.
Outline
of Schedule for 9-days and 8 nights - Tentative Dates
Day
0
|
Depart
US |
Day
1
Sunday
June 14
|
Arrive at Beijing
Capital International Airport (PEK), Beijing, China
Greet and Transport to Hotel for check in
Evening on your own
Welcome Dinner Party at Friendship
Hotel
Accommodations at Beijing
Friendship Hotel
|
Day
2
Monday
June 15
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game
#1
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon
tours of Beijing
Transfer to Hotel
Dinner at local restaurant or hotel
Accommodations at Beijing
Friendship Hotel
|
Day
3
Tuesday
June 16
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Afternoon
Baseball Game #2
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon tours of Beijing
Transfer
to Hotel
Dinner at local restaurant or
hotel
Accommodations at Beijing
Friendship Hotel
|
Day
4
Wednesday
June 17
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Tours of
Beijing
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon tours of Beijing
Acrobatic Performance or similar
Dinner at local restaurant or
hotel
Accommodations at Beijing
Friendship Hotel
|
Day
5
Thrusday
June 18
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game #3
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon tours of Beijing
Transfer
to Hotel
Dinner at local restaurant or
hotel
Accommodations at Beijing
Friendship Hotel
|
Day
6
Friday
June 19
|
|
Day
7
Saturday
June 20
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game
#4
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon Tours of Shanghai
Dinner at local restaurant or hotel
Accommodations at Olympic Hotel
|
Day
8
Sunday
June 21
|
Breakfast
at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game
#5
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon Tours of Shanghai
Dinner at local restaurant or hotel
Accommodations at Olympic Hotel
|
Day
9
Monday
June 22
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to Pudong
International Airport (PVG)
Return to US, fly all night and arrive same day you left
|
Stone Lions Guard the entry
to many buildings in China
|
Ancient Pools and
Buildings |
The Bund by Night |
Stroll like the Emperor
|
Dates
June 14-22, 2009 -Tentative Dates
You will depart the US and arrive in Beijing by Sunday
June 14. You will depart China on the following Monday
and
arrive back in the US on the same day.
You are,
of course, welcome to come earlier or
stay later on your own. I may come a few days early or stay
an extra day or so. If you do, you'll be responsible for your
own transportation and accommodations during those times.
Cost
We need at
least 10
players for this trip to happen, plus any additional non players.
Costs is $1795 not including visa costs and air fare to and from
China.
These
costs are based on staying at Chinese 4 star hotels in double
occupancy. If you want a room to yourself, add
$495. Flight costs are currently about $700-$900
from the west coast in the USA including tax.
Currency
Converter
Approximate exchange rate:
100 Chinese Yuan RMB = $14.612 USD, $1 USD=6.84 Yuan
1000 Chinese Yuan RMB = $146.12 USD, $10 USD=68.437 Yuan
10,000 Chinese Yuan RMB = $1,461.20 USD, $100 USD=684.44 Yuan
Current
Weather in Beijing
Current
Weather in Shanghai
If you
would like
more information on playing in China send an email to Dennis@DennisMc.com
Included is: Transfer to and from Airports in
China
Hotel accommodations for 8
nights.
All local transport to
scheduled activities.
Admission to scheduled tours and
events
Tours of Beijing Metro Area
Tours of Great Wall
Tours of Ming Tombs
Tours of Forbidden City &
Tiananmen Square
Tours of Summer Palace
Tours of Temple of Heaven
Admission to Acrobatic
Performance, or similar
Tour of Silk Alley
Tour of Cloisonne Factory
Flight to Shanghai
Tour of Pearl Tower
Tours of Old Town Shanghai
Shopping Spree at Nanjing Lu
All
Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners
All baseball costs, 5 Games
(umpires,
fields, etc.)
|
Not
included is:
All
Air fare to and from China
Non-scheduled
trips
(taxis, buses, trains etc.).
Additional
beverages and foods
Each
player to bring 6 leather baseballs (to be verified)
Each
player to bring
their own playing gear & uniforms.
International
travel, import or other similar costs
Airport
taxes or any other government travel fees
Visa
Fees
All
Extra
luggage weight fees
Insurance
of any kind
|
Contact
Dennis
McCroskey,
Baseball Adventures
P.O. Box 707
Mendocino, CA
95460
707-937-4478
707-937-2349
fax
email: Dennis@DennisMc.com
Sign
Up
To sign up for
this
trip you need to fill
out the application form and send a $500 deposit, obtain a visa and
make your airline reservations. The balance
of funds will be due by the first week of May
2009. If
for some
reason, the trip does not happen, all deposits held by me will be
returned in
full. Any deposits forwarded to the travel agents are subject to
their return requirements. Other than threat of war or natural
disaster, the only
reason it would not happen is if we do not the min. of 10 people on the
trip.
This trip is for amateur baseball
players of all ages.
Wives, girl friends, family members or other tourists may also
attend. You will
need a valid passport and be able to obtain a tourist visa prior to
entry into the country. We'll help you with this.
Roster
We
need a minimum of 10 players and we'll have a
maximum of
14 players plus coaches. We need a couple of more pitchers and
catchers. We can take an unlimited number of
friends, wives,
relatives, girlfriends, kids and others on the trip. These are
encouraged and
may
attend as support staff or tourists.
Roster
of Participants-Baseball Adventures
| Players |
Status |
Positions |
Dennis
McCroskey
John Williams
Eddie Harmon
Del Phillips
Mark Bauer
Ronnie Tellalian
Teddy Cowling
Rick Leach
Roger Campbell
Ryan Leach
|
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Yes
Maybe
Yes
|
P,IF
1B, IF
P,IF
OF,3B
OF, IB
|
| Non
Players |
Status |
Positions |
Julie Leach
Mrs. Campbell
|
Yes
Maybe
|
|
| Waiting List |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tiananmen Square Peoples Hall
Ancient Art
The Forbidden City
awaits you
Ming Tombs
Chinese Food, always plenty to choose from
Beijing Rail Station
Pearl Tower in Shanghai
Shanghai Lamasery
The Bund at night in Shanghai
Old Shanghai City
Olympic Hotel Shanghai
Olympic Hotel Rooms
|
Beijing Skyline 
