Day 1.
After a long travel day the boys arrived in Beijing safely. I picked them up at the Beijing Capital Airport with our tour guides Maggie and Li Ning. Both ladies are Chinese Nationals who speak English. They will stay at the hotel and be available 24/7. After checking into the hotel we went for an early dinner, the boys had their first taste of a traditional Chinese meal. After dinner we treated the boys to a McDonalds soft serve, the perfect way to end the day.
Later the boys joined the coaches for a team meeting to discuss team rules and the upcoming games. After a massive 24 hours the boys headed to bed at 9.00pm.
Today we look forward to an exciting game against the affiliated high school of SCNU and sightseeing at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
After a long travel day the boys arrived in Beijing safely. I picked them up at the Beijing Capital Airport with our tour guides Maggie and Li Ning. Both ladies are Chinese Nationals who speak English. They will stay at the hotel and be available 24/7. After checking into the hotel we went for an early dinner, the boys had their first taste of a traditional Chinese meal. After dinner we treated the boys to a McDonalds soft serve, the perfect way to end the day.
Later the boys joined the coaches for a team meeting to discuss team rules and the upcoming games. After a massive 24 hours the boys headed to bed at 9.00pm.
Today we look forward to an exciting game against the affiliated high school of SCNU and sightseeing at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
Day 2
What a magnificent day!!!
I could not be prouder or more impressed with the young men we have on this tour. After a big morning of sightseeing at the Forbidden City, the boys played some great baseball to win their opening game.
With our good friend Keith Land battling away at home the boys and Glen showed their support with Glen wearing Landy's famous #31 and his green jersey hanging in the dugout. We hope you are well mate and we miss you and your jokes.
Solid pitching from Zac Merson and a clutch two run home run from Josh Anthony saw the Dolphins win 10-9 against Chaoyang School.
Playing on an artificial turf field the boys showed great endurance on a very hot and humid day.
Tonight we attend the welcome dinner with old friend Mr Jiang from Beijing Sports Exchange, tonight's delicacy was Peking Duck.
Tomorrow we look forward to shopping at Silk Alley and an acrobatics show, tomorrows game is against Chen Jinglun High School.
What a magnificent day!!!
I could not be prouder or more impressed with the young men we have on this tour. After a big morning of sightseeing at the Forbidden City, the boys played some great baseball to win their opening game.
With our good friend Keith Land battling away at home the boys and Glen showed their support with Glen wearing Landy's famous #31 and his green jersey hanging in the dugout. We hope you are well mate and we miss you and your jokes.
Solid pitching from Zac Merson and a clutch two run home run from Josh Anthony saw the Dolphins win 10-9 against Chaoyang School.
Playing on an artificial turf field the boys showed great endurance on a very hot and humid day.
Tonight we attend the welcome dinner with old friend Mr Jiang from Beijing Sports Exchange, tonight's delicacy was Peking Duck.
Tomorrow we look forward to shopping at Silk Alley and an acrobatics show, tomorrows game is against Chen Jinglun High School.
Day 3
Amazing!! SILK Markets win again.... Today we ventured to Beijings famous SILK street markets. The markets offer an opportunity to barter with Engilsh speaking sales people in an attempt to secure the best bargin. Imitation products include Rolex watches, NIKE shoes, Under Armor shirts, baseball jerseys, hats and much more... It is great fun seeing the boys bartering and having a laugh as they purchase the latest fake products.
After enjoying Subway for lunch we venture...d to the field for our second game. Todays staring pitcher Hayden Turner and releif pitcher Cody Luchterhand battled hard against one of Beijings stronger Middle School affiliate teams, losing 12-1.
After enjoying a burger at the field for dinner we finished the day with the most amazing Acrobatics show I have ever seen.
Tomorrow we look forward to the Temple of Heaven and a tea house visit before playing our third game.
Amazing!! SILK Markets win again.... Today we ventured to Beijings famous SILK street markets. The markets offer an opportunity to barter with Engilsh speaking sales people in an attempt to secure the best bargin. Imitation products include Rolex watches, NIKE shoes, Under Armor shirts, baseball jerseys, hats and much more... It is great fun seeing the boys bartering and having a laugh as they purchase the latest fake products.
After enjoying Subway for lunch we venture...d to the field for our second game. Todays staring pitcher Hayden Turner and releif pitcher Cody Luchterhand battled hard against one of Beijings stronger Middle School affiliate teams, losing 12-1.
After enjoying a burger at the field for dinner we finished the day with the most amazing Acrobatics show I have ever seen.
Tomorrow we look forward to the Temple of Heaven and a tea house visit before playing our third game.
Day 4
"The sky is out today" Blue skies and not a cloud in the sky, perfect day for baseball. Unfortunately we lost 22-1 but i feel we can take a lot from todays game and i look forward to our next game tomorrow. Off the field we enjoyed a Chinese lunch after visiting the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was used by the emperor to pray for good harvest, it is one of Beijings most intricate buildings. Tomorrow we will experience the traditional Hutong tour before an afternoon game
"The sky is out today" Blue skies and not a cloud in the sky, perfect day for baseball. Unfortunately we lost 22-1 but i feel we can take a lot from todays game and i look forward to our next game tomorrow. Off the field we enjoyed a Chinese lunch after visiting the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was used by the emperor to pray for good harvest, it is one of Beijings most intricate buildings. Tomorrow we will experience the traditional Hutong tour before an afternoon game
Day 5
Tody we visited the hutongs, traditional shared housing in small lane ways. We were chauffeured around like kings on three wheel bikes and we visited a local family home. Todays game was another tough loss 15-1. The weather has been very hot and humid. Tonight we headed back to SILK Alley for some more retail therapy....... tomorrow we look forward to the Summer Palace and our fifth game.
Tody we visited the hutongs, traditional shared housing in small lane ways. We were chauffeured around like kings on three wheel bikes and we visited a local family home. Todays game was another tough loss 15-1. The weather has been very hot and humid. Tonight we headed back to SILK Alley for some more retail therapy....... tomorrow we look forward to the Summer Palace and our fifth game.
Day 6
A tough day on holiday is always better than school. Today we lost 18-2 against BJTU High School. Lachy Roberts had 2 hits and caught well, Nate Townsley made some great defensive plays at third and Josh Anthony showed some good signs on the mound. After visiting the Beijing Zoo, we went to the Summer Palace. The giant panda elclosure is a must see while in Beijing and we were treated to a very playful panda who thought he was performig for the large crowd. The Summer Palace is my personal favourite, the stunning Palace is set on a man made lake, with plenty of shade and some great photo opportunities.
Tomorrow we will play our final game and attend the farewell banquet. In the morning we will visit Tiananment Square and the front gate area.
A tough day on holiday is always better than school. Today we lost 18-2 against BJTU High School. Lachy Roberts had 2 hits and caught well, Nate Townsley made some great defensive plays at third and Josh Anthony showed some good signs on the mound. After visiting the Beijing Zoo, we went to the Summer Palace. The giant panda elclosure is a must see while in Beijing and we were treated to a very playful panda who thought he was performig for the large crowd. The Summer Palace is my personal favourite, the stunning Palace is set on a man made lake, with plenty of shade and some great photo opportunities.
Tomorrow we will play our final game and attend the farewell banquet. In the morning we will visit Tiananment Square and the front gate area.
Day 7
This morning we visited Tiananmen Square and the Front Gate street. Tiananmen Square is a large square in the centre of Beijing, it neighbours the Forbidden City, it is next to the government building and the national museum. Front Gate street is a relatively new area, offering shopping and good food. For todays lunch we enjoyed Chinese noodles. This afternoons game we went down 17-0 to Da Cheng School. It was great to see several players get their first hits for the tour. Tonight we shared dinner with one of the local Beijing teams at the farewell dinner, the players were presented a tour t-shirt from the organiser to say thank you. With all the games over, we will finish the tour with a visit to the Great Wall of China tomorrow, before an early morning flight home Tuesday..
This morning we visited Tiananmen Square and the Front Gate street. Tiananmen Square is a large square in the centre of Beijing, it neighbours the Forbidden City, it is next to the government building and the national museum. Front Gate street is a relatively new area, offering shopping and good food. For todays lunch we enjoyed Chinese noodles. This afternoons game we went down 17-0 to Da Cheng School. It was great to see several players get their first hits for the tour. Tonight we shared dinner with one of the local Beijing teams at the farewell dinner, the players were presented a tour t-shirt from the organiser to say thank you. With all the games over, we will finish the tour with a visit to the Great Wall of China tomorrow, before an early morning flight home Tuesday..
Day 8
Breathtaking!!!
The Great Wall of China was in all its glory today, with perfect blue skies. It is always great to see the boys try and get as far up the mountain as they can. After the Wall we enjoyed lunch at Glens favourite "antique" shop before a brief stop at the "Birds Nest" Olympic Stadium and the water cube. This afternoon we visited SILK Alley for some final shopping. Tonight we will be in bed early ready for our journey home tomorrow. It has been a pleasure having this group of fine young men, mothers and fathers in China. I wish you all the best for your future baseball endeavours.
Yi Lu shun feng! "Safe travels"
See you next year.
Breathtaking!!!
The Great Wall of China was in all its glory today, with perfect blue skies. It is always great to see the boys try and get as far up the mountain as they can. After the Wall we enjoyed lunch at Glens favourite "antique" shop before a brief stop at the "Birds Nest" Olympic Stadium and the water cube. This afternoon we visited SILK Alley for some final shopping. Tonight we will be in bed early ready for our journey home tomorrow. It has been a pleasure having this group of fine young men, mothers and fathers in China. I wish you all the best for your future baseball endeavours.
Yi Lu shun feng! "Safe travels"
See you next year.