This
is a
custom
designed trip for baseball players.
It's the only one of it's
kind to provide a baseball vacation to Panama 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, Panama style.
Bear in mind that your trip to Panama
will be an adventure.
Whether you're shopping in the city or exploring an historic fort,
there's a lot to see and do. We won't be able to see it all but
this trip will take you to some of the most interesting parts of the
country and allow you to experience many of the must do activities of Panama and of Panama City.
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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 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. Players, wives, girl
friends, family
members, kids and tourists
are all welcome to tag along.
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.
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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 Panama baseball
associations to sponsor
us and give us use of their fields, teams and parks. Panama is
a fairly economical country to visit. It has a stable economy
with costs much 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 to scheduled events, all baseball, all tours, lots of
sightseeing,
shopping sprees, and all breakfasts. Some lunches and dinners may be provided. |
Most
every day
we'll tour a different area, see the local attractions and play a local
baseball team. Some evenings will have group outings or
dinners.
Occasionally there may be joint meals with the local teams that
will
allow the Panama 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
Baseball
has been a prime activity in Panama for many decades. You
recently saw them in the MLB Baseball World Classic and through the
years, there have been many professional players from
Panama. I doubt that we can use it but they do have a new National Stadium. If there are some games going on while we are there, we may attend some of their national or professional games.
They do have adult and youth teams
and baseball is one of the most popular activities in Panama. We'll
be starting our trips with 2 games in Panama City against local amateur teams of similar
ability. We'll have day tours for a few days and then return to Panama City for our final 2 games. Our
team
will
be made up of US players from various leagues and organizations from
all over the country. This will be our chance to experience baseball Panama style!
Transportation
You will need to make your own flight arrangements to and from Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY).
Once there,
you'll be met at the airport and transported to our hotel for check
in.
We will 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.
Let's face it guys, it's a traveling party bus. Through the
trip, we'll be using other means of transportation including boats and
piraguras, dug out canoes. Most evenings we'll be on our own and
make use of local taxis. Upon
departure,
you'll
be transported to the airport and assisted by our tour guides for your
departure.
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Food
Breakfasts
are included with the rooms at the hotels. Mostly they will be
continental or buffet breakfasts. 2 lunches are included, one at
the Indian Village and one in Colon province. The rest you will
pay for yourself. Dinner will be included on the day you arrive
at the hotel. Some of the dinners may be included, I am still
working on that. I'll
select some of the best restaurants recommended so that each day we
will explore a different place for lunch and dinner. What I
have listed are suggested places but may vary once we get there.
This trip should
be another Epicurean Delight as there are plenty of excellent restaurants from which to choose. We will have at least 1 other dinner
included that will have
local Folklore entertainment at Las Tinajas Restaurant. There may also be some lunch get
together with the local
teams.
Restaurants are in our hotels and many others within easy walking
distance or a short taxi ride.
Food
in Panama is very good. Traditional 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. 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.
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Entertainment
While
in the capitol city of Panama City, 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 including and possibly an optional bar hopping party bus. We'll also have some time
for you to explore on your own in each city.
The
locations and hotel have
all been selected to provide you with easy access to local restaurants,
bars, discos, night clubs and other activities in all cities.
There will be
more to do than you will have time for. Panama is becoming 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.
In addition, Carnival will be occurring in the 5 days before our trip
officially begins. Many of us are planning to show up a few days
early to participate in these activities. The whole country will
be in party mode.
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Sightseeing
Sightseeing
is a big part of all these trips, it's a lot more than just baseball.
Part of the idea of playing in different countries is to experience new
sites, history and culture. After
our
first
day of arrival, we'll be playing baseball and doing extensive
sight
seeing before or after the games. In addition, we'll have several
full days for treks to outlying parts of the country. We'll
visit some of the most attractive and interesting places of these
interesting cities and their surroundings.
Panama City is a
metropolitan city with lots of new buildings, great restaurants and a
beautiful surroundings. We'll spend time visiting some of the
must see historic sites and the Panama Canal. We'll have some short trips out of town to see and explore some of the natural wonders
of the country. We'll be visiting Casco Viejo, Panama Viejo, and the Bridge of the Americas which spans between the north and south American continents.
Colon
province is gateway to the Caribbean side of the Canal and the
impressive Gatun Locks, Lake and Dam. It is also the former
haunts of pirates and has a variety of old forts to visit. We'll
be visiting Fort San Lorenzo, the Fortress at Portobello and see the Black Christ.
These forts were jump off points for the Spanish conquerors to ship
their gold and treasures of the Americas to Spain. As such, they
were often sacked by pirates. Portobello is where Sir francis
Drake died in a battle.
At
typical day in Panama City will
consist of morning baseball games, lunch, afternoon tours, and dinner or
entertainment outings. 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 and every day will be a new adventure.
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 excellent hotels from which to
choose but we will be based all week in Panama City. We'll be
staying
in a 5 star a hotel, depending on who rates them. The hotel are
all modernized with the necessities and amenities you are accustomed
to. Panamanian rooms are much like American rooms in terms of
size and amenities.
In Panama City, we'll be staying at the Riande Continental Hotel and Casino on the main street through the city, Via Espana. This is a newly renovated hotel in the downtown area close to restaurants, discos, shopping and entertainment.
The hotel has plenty of facilities
including spa, pools, gym, laundry, bar, restaurants and more. We'll have a buffet breakfast
each day at
the hotel 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 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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Schedule
and Agenda
This
trip is scheduled to take place in the Winter of
2007, February . Most flights seem to be connecting in the
southern parts of
the US, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, LA etc. It is about 5-6 hours from
any
of these locations so it will probably take a full day to get from your
home city to Panama. You'll probably be arriving in the
evening. We'll
start the
trip when you arrive at the airport in Panama City 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. Many of us will be arriving early to participate in the Carnival activities.
The 1st day, you'll depart the US.
Most flights from the US will take a full day. You'll probably be
arriving in the evening where we'll pick you up at the airport for
transfer and check-in at our hotel. Dinner will be waiting for
you at the hotel as long as you are arriving before the restaurants
close, otherwise you are on your own for dinner. It's only about 20 min. from the airport to the hotel.
The 2nd day
we'll have breakfast at the hotel before we head to the ballpark for our first Game #1. After our glorious victory and a bit of clean up, we'll have lunch at a local restaurant and then visit some of the
historic areas of Panama. We'll visit the ruins of Panama Viejo,
the original and first settlement on the Pacific Ocean before being
sacked by Capitain Henry Morgan. After lunch, we'll visit the
older section of Casco Viejo,
a place of colonial architecture and lots of clubs and discos. After a rest at the hotel,
we'll rally up again and , we'll have a Folkloric Night Show and Dinner at Las Tinajas Restaurant.
On the 3rd day, we'll
have breakfast before we head to we are transported to the
ball park for Game #2
and on our way to an undefeated week. After lunch, we'll visit the Miraflores Locks, the
Panama Canal and the history and
features of the canal. We'll select an interesting restaurant for dinner and then be on our own.
On the 4th day, we'll
experience some of the local indigenous culture by visiting the Chagres
National Park. We'll bus to the park where we'll board a
piragura, carved wood canoe, where a guide will take us along the
Chagres River. After a short hike, we'll be at a Chocoe-Embera
indian village. In this village the tribe will share their culture with
you through dances, rituals, food, etc. You will also have the
opportunity to partake in "jagua" body painting with vegetable
ink. Lunch will be included at the village. We'll return to Panama City to show off our tattoos and have
dinner.
On the 5th day, we'll
take to the road to visit some of the outlying areas to the
north. We'll take a
ride through the Pan-American Highway to the beautiful mountain town of
El Valle de Anton. We'll visit the Indian Market to explore for
native and national handicrafts. After lunch, we have a chance to
visit the petroglyphs of the El
Chorro Macho Waterfall and maybe some "golden frogs". After
returning to Panama City, we'll off to the ballpark for Game #3. Dinner in town afterwards.
On the 6th day, we'll
take a Train Ride along the Panama Canal where we'll see the Gatun
Locks and Gatun Dam before arriving in Colon Province. We'll
begin by doing some exploring and shopping in Colon city before we have
lunch. Afterwards, we'll begin our
tour of pirate haunts by touring the Fort San Lorenzo. Then,
we'll be transported to the Portobello Fortress Ruins, another
fort and destination of pirates. In the evening, we'll return by
train again to
our hotel in Panama City for evening entertainment and dinner.
On the 7th day, we'll have a casual shopping spree at some of Panama's bargain stores at the Los Pueblos
and other malls. In the evening, we'll attend a local professional baseball game at the National Stadium if schedule permits. If so, we'll have dinner at the ballpark. Otherwise we'll dine out on the town again.
On the 8th day, we'll be off for our
final game #4
and our sweep of the Panama teams. We'll return to the hotel and
you will have lunch on your own and the afternoon off. Time to
catch up on those sites or shopping you missed during the week. We'll have our
victory celebration and farewell dinner at a local restaurant, hopefully we'll be entertained by local shows and entertainers again.
On the 9th day, you'll be transferred to the airport for your return flight to the USA. You will need to arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flights. You will arrive
home, a new person, wishing you were still on vacation and waiting to
go back to work where you can catch up on your sleep.
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
many of the sights of Panama. You'll have lots of
opportunities for
evenings out after the games, tours and dinners. Optional
entertainment on your own may include cock fights or bull fighting,
both very big in Panama. There may be
some nights where
we'll go out as a group or you are welcome to go out on your own.
Again, I mention that you may want to show up early for the Carnival
festivities.
Outline
of Schedule for 9-days and 8 nights
Day
1
Wednesday
Feb. 21
|
Depart
US
Arrive at Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Panama City, Panama
Greet and Transport to Hotel for check in
Afternoon/Evening on your own
Dinner at El Panama Hotel
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day
2
Thursday
Feb. 22
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game #1
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day
3
Friday
Feb. 23
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game #2
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon tours of Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day
4
Saturday
Feb. 24
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Breakfast at Hotel
Morning tour to Chagres National Park
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon tours of Chocoe-Embera Village
Return to Panama City
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day
5
Sunday
Feb. 25
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to El Valle Mountain Town
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon Free to explore & shop at the local flea market
Tour to petroglyphs of the El Chorro Macho Waterfall
Transfer to Panama City
Evening Baseball Game #3
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day
6
Monday
Feb. 26
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer by Train to Colon Province, Gatun Locks, Dam & Ft. San Lorenzo
Lunch at Tarpon Club Restaurant
Transfer to Portabello Fortress Ruins
Return to Panama City
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day 7
Tuesday
Feb. 27
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Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Shopping at Los Pueblos or other locations
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon on your own.
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Professional Game and dinner at Estadio National if available
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day 8
Wednesday
Feb. 28
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to ball fields for Baseball Game #4
Lunch at Local Restaurant
Afternoon off on your own
Farewell Dinner at Local Restaurant
Accommodations at El Panama Hotel
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Day 9
Thursday
March 1
|
Breakfast at Hotel
Transfer to Airport
Return to US |
Dates
February 21-March 1 , 2007.
You will arrive in Panama on February 21and depart on 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 12
players for this trip to happen, plus any additional non players.
Costs is $2,175 not including air fare or airport tax. These
costs are based on staying at 4 star Riande Continental Hotel in single
occupancy. If you want a room to yourself, add another $500. Flight costs are about $700
from the west and east coasts in the USA.
Panama
uses the US Dollar so there is no need to make any money
exchanges. In Panama, they are often referred to as dolares and
bolivares.
Current Weather in Panama City
If you
would like
more information on playing in Panama send an email to Dennis@DennisMc.com
Included is: Transfer to and from Airports in Panama
Hotel accommodations for 8
nights. All local ground transport to
scheduled activities.
All inter Panama flights, boats, buses or trains
Admission to scheduled tours and eventsTours of Panama Viejo
Tours of Casco Viejo
Tours of Miraflores Locks & Panama Canal
Tours Historic Canal Museum
Tours to El Valle
Tour of Charges National ParkTour to Ft. San Lorenzo and Gutan Dam
Tour to Portabello FortressAttendance at a Professional Baseball Game, maybe
Shopping Spree in Panama City
All Breakfasts, 2 Lunches and All Dinners
All baseball costs, 4 Games (umpires,
fields, etc.)
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Not
included is:
All Air fare to and from Panama
Non-scheduled
trips
(taxis, buses, trains etc.).
All but 2 Lunches
Each
player to bring 4 leather baseballs
Each
player to bring
their own playing gear & uniforms.
International travel, import or other similar costsAirport departure, visa, entry, exit taxes or any other government fees ($20)
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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 December
15, 2006. 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 12 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 12 players and have a few committed already. We'll have a
maximum of
14 players. 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.
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
| Confirmed |
Dennis
McCroskey
John Stalberg
Mark Foerster
Gene Sinclair
Sid Rosenblatt
Tracy Masters
Ed Garelick
Gordie Woo
Mike Bradley
Dennis Veltz
Robert Fernandez
|
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maybe
|
P,IF
IF,OF
IF,P
IF,OF
IF,OF
IF,OF
2B,P
OF
IF,OF,C,P
1B, OF
IF
| Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
|
Non Players
|
Status
|
Positions
|
|
|
|
|
|
Waiting List
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Local girl showing off her Pollara
Roberto Kelly In Panama
Estadio Nacional
Native piraguras are some of our transportation
Panama Canal
Choo Choo to Colon and back
Lobster & Seafood
Typical Tropical Foods
Riande Continental Hotel & Casino
Panama Caribbean & Pirates
Estadio National
Panama City by Night
Local Cultural Festivities
Botas-this is not one of our Hotels
The Local team is eager to play with us
Gatun Locks
Church
Bridge of the Americas at Night
Los Pueblos Mall
Local Bull Fighting
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Panama City Skyline
