This
is a
custom
designed trip for baseball players.
It's the only one of it's
kind to provide a baseball vacation to Nicaragua and Costa
Rica with these type of
activities. Baseball
is one of many mediums between our cultures. We'll eat at
some
great restaurants, stay at nice hotels, be entertained by a full time
agenda, see some great
sights and Play Baseball as the locals do.
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Trip
is open
to any adult person who plays baseball.
The average age of
our
teams is usually in the mid 40's to early 50's with players ranging in
their 20's
through their 60's. The trip is scheduled in mid winter to
allow for a tropical vacation and chance to get away from the cold,
snow or rain in your area. We'll be limiting
ourselves to a maximum of 14
players.
We will need 2-3 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.
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| The
trip is far
more economical than any travel agent could do.
This
is a unique opportunity that we have for local baseball
associations to sponsor
us and give us use of their field, teams and parks. Nicaragua is
a fairly economical country to visit. Nicaragua has a past of
unstable politics but is pretty stable now and Costa Rica is one of the
most industrial and stable economies in Central America
with costs somewhat on par with those 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 and dinners. |
Most
every day
we'll tour a different area, see the local attractions and play a local
baseball team. Each evening we'll have group outings or
dinners.
Occasionally there may be joint meals with the local teams that
will
allow the locals and USA players to get together, swap lies 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.
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Baseball
You
would think there would be a lot of baseball in the country where
baseballs are made, Costa Rica, but it is actually very limited.
They do a
great job of making baseballs but most people don't know how to use
them. There are only a
handful of baseball fields in the country in the capital city of San
Jose and we will be using their main stadium Estadio Antonio Escarre in
downtown San Jose.
They do have some adult and youth teams
and baseball is growing. This will be our chance to help bring it
to them. In Nicaragua, there is considerably more
baseball played throughout the country. I am working on trying to
set up games at the recently built Dennis Martinez Baseball
Complex. We'll
be starting our trips with 2 games in Managua against local amateur
teams of similar
ability. We'll travel a few days and then go to San
Jose for our final 2 games against their local teams. 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 Managua (MGS) and from San
Jose SantaMaria International Airport (SJO). Upon arriving in
Managua,
you'll be met at the airport and transported to our hotel for check
in. While in Nicaragua, we'll have a guide and team bus
that will transport us to
the games, different venues, activities and tours at each of the cities
we visit. Upon departure from Nicaragua, our tour bus will
transport us to the Costa Rica border (1 1/2 hr) where we will be met
by our Costa Rica bus to transport us to Jaco Beach, about 5 1/2
hr. We'll have that bus the rest of our days in Costa
Rica. Upon
departure from San Jose,
you'll
be transported to the airport and assisted by our tour guides.
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Food
Breakfasts
are included with the rooms at the hotels. Mostly they will be
continental or buffet breakfasts. None of the lunches are
included. All the dinners will be included. I've
selected some of the best restaurants recommended so that each day we
will explore a different place for lunch and dinner. What I
may have listed are suggested places but may vary once we get
there.
This trip should
be an Epicurean Delight as there are plenty of good restaurants from
which to choose. There may also be some lunch get
together with the local
teams.
Restaurants are in our hotels and most others within easy walking
distance.
Food
in
Costa Rica is very good. Traditional Tico food is Caribbean
or Spanish in origin. There is lots of seafood and of course all
the basic fast food places you are used to in the USA, including Jaco
Bell. There are
also many international
options that include French, Italian, American, Chinese, Japanese
and Mexican. They are also famous for fancy tropical drinks,
which I am sure we'll be sampling quite often.
Nicaragua's
food is amongst the finest
in Latin America with a premium put on fresh ingredients and generous
servings. In addition to the numerous fresh fruits that one expects in
the tropics, grilled meats and fresh fish are complimented by local
made cheeses, vine ripened vegetables, hand made tortillas, fruit
drinks, local beers and Nicaragua's famously smooth rum.
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Entertainment
Nicaragua
has unique forms of dance, music and festivals, but most
of all Nicaragua's culture breaths poetry, the unrivaled national
passion, which has produced some of the most important poets in the
history of the Spanish language. In Managua there are
plenty of bars and dance places to keep you entertained.
Playa Jaco is a small party town
with a heavy
surfer influence. There is plenty of night life but on a much
more scaled down level. With the building of the new
highway from San Jose to Jaco Beach, there has been a tremendous amount
of new resorts and construction in the area. It is quickly
becoming a world destination and a place for retirees.
While
in the capitol city of San
Jose,
you'll find lots of night time
entertainment including discos,
casinos, 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. The locations and
hotels have
all been selected to provide you with easy access to local restaurants,
bars, discos, night clubs and other activities. There will be
more to do than you will have time. Costa Rica is a destination
country for tourists from around the world.
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.
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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.
A trpical day in Nicaragua will consis of morning baseball game, lunch
and afternoon tours. The evenings will be for dinner and
entertainment. In Nicaragua, we'll
be visiting the Managua and the near by colonial cities of Leon and
Granada with their significant churches, museums and cultural
spots.
In
Jaco Beach, you'll find it to be a surfers town with lots of bars,
shops, fancy hotels and beaches. We'll be taking
advantage of all of these. We'll have a half day tour to some of
the local sights and then you'll have the rest of the day to do what
every you like. On the way back to San Jose, we'll have a coffee
plantation tour.
At
typical day in San Jose will
consist of morning tours, lunch, afternoon tours and evening baseball
games.
Other days will consist of tours to different places so you'll have
lot's of
opportunities to see the cities as well as the surrounding areas.
There will be some
half days off
for touring on your own, but not many. You are of course free to
go out on your own in these cities, just let us know.
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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 3 and 4 star hotels, depending on who rates them. The
hotels are
all modern with the necessities and amenities you are accustomed
to. The rooms are much like American rooms in terms of
size and amenities.
I'm not sure where we will be staying in Managua yet but as soon as I
know I'll post the information.
In San Jose, we'll be staying at the Hotel Herradura Golf &
Resort Center.
This is a 4 star resort hotel that also has a golf course for our use
and boasts the best convention center in Costa Rica. It has plenty
of facilities
including spa, pools, casino, bar, restaurants and more. It is
located between the airport and downtown San Jose and pretty close to
the baseball fields. We'll have a buffet breakfast each day at
this hotel and some dinners.
At Jaco Beach, we will be
staying at the Best
Western Jaco Beach Hotel.
This is one of the better o;der hotels in the area for
tourists and has the
best
amenities. It's got a pool, bar, game room, tennis courts,
laundry, free bicycles, the Mambo Restaurant and much more. It
right on the beach and is
also located on the north end of Jaco Beach so it is easy walking to
the activities of the town.
Requirements
This
trip is for
amateur baseball players. Most our players are members of local
amateur baseball leagues. Ages ranging in the 20's through the
60's. Average age of the teams is generally in the
mid-40'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.
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Preliminary
Schedule
and Agenda
This
trip is scheduled to take place in the Winter of
2006, February 17th. Most flights seem to be connecting in the
southern parts of
the US, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, LA etc. It is about 5 hours from
any
of these locations so it will probably take a full day to get there
from your
home. You'll probably be arriving in the evening unless you take
a red eye flight. We'll
start the
trip when you arrive at the airport in Managua where we'll be met at
the
airport by one of the travel agents who will help us get to the hotel
for check in. This
first day will be devoted to gathering us up and decompression.
All other scheduled activities will begin the next day.
Our departure flights will probably be in the mornings, this 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 and accommodations during those times. A
preliminary detailed agenda is shown
below.
All
in all, between the baseball
and the tours,
this will be a very
busy schedule that will give you a great experience and a chance to see
some of the sights of the Dominican Republic. You'll have lots of
opportunities for
evenings out after the games, tours and dinners. There may be
some nights where
we'll go out as a group or you are welcome to go out on your own.
Outline
of Schedule for 10-days and 9 nights
Day
1
Friday
February 20 |
Depart
US
Arrive
at Managua
International Airport (MGA), Managua, Nicaragua
Greet and Transport to Hotel for check in
Afternoon/Evening on your own
Dinner at Hotel
Accommodations at Managua Hotel
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Day
2
Saturday
February 21 |
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning tours of Managua
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon tours of Managua
Transfer to fields for Baseball Game #1
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at Managua Hotel
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Day
3
Sunday
February 22
|
Breakfast
at Hotel
Morning tours of Leon
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon tours of Leon
Transfer to fields for Baseball Game #2
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at Managua Hotel
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Day
4
Monday
February 23 |
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning tours of Granada
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon tours of Granada
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at Managua Hotel
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Day
5
Tuesday
February 24 |
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to Costa Rica Border
Transfer to Jaco Beach
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at Best
Western Jaco Beach
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Day
6
Wednesday
February 25
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Canopy Tour
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon Free to explore Jaco
Beach
Dinner at Local Restaurant Marisqueria el
Hicoco-LobsterFest
Accommodations at Best
Western Jaco Beach
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Day
7
Thursday
February 26
|
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Day
8
Friday
February 27
|
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Day
9
Saturday
February 28
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Day
10
Sunday
February 26
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to San
Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), San Jose, Costa Rica
Return
to US
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Dates
February 20-March 1, 2009.
You will arrive in Managua Friday Feb. 20th and depart San Jose on
Sunday March 1.
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 $???? not including air fare. These
costs are based on staying at 2-4 star hotels in double
occupancy. If you want a room to yourself, add
$???. Round trip flight costs are about $750
from the west and east coasts in the USA.
Universal
Currency #1
Currency
Converter #2
Current Exchange
Rates
Approximate exchange rate in Nicaragua,
100 Costa Rican Colon = .180 USD, $1 USD=554.99 Colones
1000 Costa Rican Colon = $1.80, $10 USD=5,549.9 Colones
10,000 Costa Rican Colon = $18.02, $100 USD=55,499 Colones
Approximate exchange rate
in Nicaragua,
100 Nicaragua Cordobas = 5.049 USD, $1 USD=19.8 Nicaragua Cordobas
1000 Nicaragua Cordobas = $50.4974, $10
USD=198 Nicaragua Cordobas
10,000 Nicaragua Cordobas =
$504.97, $100 USD=1,980 Nicaragua Cordobas
Current
Weather in Managua
Current
Weather in San Jose
If you
would like
more information on playing in Costa Rica send an email to Dennis@DennisMc.com
Included is: Transfer from Airport in Managua
Hotel accommodations for 9
nights.
All local transport to
scheduled activities.
Admission to scheduled tours and
events
Tours of Managua Metro Area
Tours of Leon
Tours of Granada
Tour of Manual Antonio National
Park
Canopy Tour
Tour of Coffee Plantation
All
Breakfasts and Dinners
All baseball costs, 4 Games
(umpires,
fields, etc.)
Transfer to Airport in San Jose
and More!
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Not
included is:
All
Air fare
Non-scheduled
trips
(taxis, buses, trains etc.).
All
Lunches
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, visa, gratuities, entry, exit taxes or any other government
travel fees
Insurance
of any kind
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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 and make your
airline reservations. The balance
of funds will be due by the first week of January
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.
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 upon entry
to the country.
Roster
We
need a minimum of 10 players. We'll have a
maximum of
14 players. We can take an unlimited number of friends, wives,
relatives, girlfriends, kids and others up to a total of 18 people
maximum on the trip. These are encouraged and
may
attend as support staff or tourists.
This trip is currently filling up rapidly with only 2
player spots left and 4 non player spots left. When the quota for
14
players has been met, you can get on the waiting list. Seems like
almost always, someone has to drop out for some reason. If you
would like to sign up or get on a
waiting list, please let me know.
Roster of Participants
| Player |
Status |
Positions
|
Dennis
McCroskey
Mark Foerster
John Stalberg
Ed Garelick
Gene Sinclair
Marc
Drucker
Damian Perkins
Tony Stockman
Blair Bessette
Michael Bessette
Steve Fagin
Tracy Masters
Del Phillips
|
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Yes
|
P,IF
IF,P
IF,OF
IF,P
OF,1B
C.3B
OF,IF
OF
IF, OF
IF,OF
IF,OF
IF,OF
1B,OF
|
Non Players
|
Status
|
Positions
|
|
|
|
Waiting List
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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One of many Volcanos
Historic Sites
Colonial Cities
Estadio
Antonio Escarre
The Local Team is Eager
to
Meet You
Leon
Leon
This is not our Motor Coach
Managua
Costumes of Nicaragua
Traditional Costa Rican Food
Morning Shower
Sunset at the Beach
Hang on to your Iguana
We're headed for the Jungle
Sunset at the Volcano
Water Falls
Beautiful Blue Pacific Ocean
Coffee Tour
Jaco Beach
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San Jose Skyline 
