The Ubud Monkey Forest, a Balinese Treasure

 

Based in Dallas, Texas, David T. Ball has traveled extensively. For instance, he has spent some time in Bali. There, a world away from Dallas, David T. Ball visited a number of famous and unique sites, including the Ubud Monkey Forest.

Owned by the town of Padangtegal, the Ubud Monkey Forest is a special cultural site and a treasured sanctuary for monkeys and wildlife. Visitors have the opportunity to view the hundreds of Balinese long-tailed monkeys, or macaques, that make the forest their home. The monkeys live in seven groups, and each group has its own territory in the forest. Visitors might see babies and their mothers, juveniles, and other members of the monkeys’ society. Each group tends to stay in its own territory, although they might periodically cross into another group’s area.

In addition to viewing monkeys in their natural habitat, tourists can enjoy the lush natural setting of the sanctuary, where over a hundred species of trees grow. In Balinese spiritual tradition, many of these types of trees are sacred, and some types are used in ceremonies or for constructing shrines. In fact, the Balinese people consider Ubud Monkey Forest a spiritual location, in addition to being a place of conservation and historical significance.

The forest has three temples, located in the southwest, the northwest, the northeast. These temples, which were likely built in the 14th century, are an important part of Balinese culture and Hindu religion. The nearby community uses these temples for religious ceremonies and events.

Green Bay Packers Sign Free-Agent Linebacker Christian Kirksey

David T. Ball is a Dallas resident who supports the Crawl for Cancer event and has participated multiple times in Urban Dare, a local competition akin to The Amazing Race television show. Although he lives in Dallas, David T. Ball counts the Green Bay Packers as his favorite National Football League (NFL) team.

In an attempt to bolster its depth at the inside linebacker position, the Packers signed veteran free agent Christian Kirksey to a two-year, $16 million contract on March 16. Green Bay has lacked speed at this position for quite some time and, while Kirksey has been limited to only nine games due to injury over the past two seasons, he ran an impressive 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash prior to the 2014 NFL Draft. In contrast, Blake Martinez, who is unlikely to be re-signed with the addition of Kirksey, ran a 4.71 before the 2016 NFL Draft.

A 27-year-old native of St. Louis, Kirksey was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has spent each of his six seasons in the league with the Browns and, in 73 regular-season games over that time, recorded 484 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

What to Know About International Travel Insurance

A resident of Dallas, Texas, David T. Ball supports his local community by volunteering for the Crawl for Cancer and participating in multiple Urban Dare competitions. Outside of his home base in Dallas, David T. Ball travels often for work and pleasure. His favorite destinations include Dubai, India, and Hong Kong.

Travel destination and duration are the two primary things most people consider when booking a trip, but it’s important to consider travel insurance. This is particularly true for more expensive international trips where problems are more likely to occur than domestic travel.

Experts suggest researching the country you are visiting before making a decision with regard to travel insurance. If this country experiences political unrest or has other issues that give you cause for concern, it’s best to purchase comprehensive travel insurance. This not only covers lost baggage but also medical emergencies, disaster evacuations, and costs associated with accidental deaths. Basic trip cancellation protection is a cheaper option that generally only covers lost baggage and provides reimbursements for missed connections. All-in-one policies, on average, cost around $164, according to the finance research site ValuePenguin.

Travel insurance can be ignored in certain situations. In addition to domestic trips, you can forego travel insurance if your credit card company offers it as a perk; the American Express Platinum Card among others, offer these built-in protections. Moreover, if you usually purchase travel insurance as a form of the cancellation protection, you can save money by making reservations at hotels that offer free cancellation instead.

The Rules of Urban Dare

A resident of the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas, David T. Ball maintains an active lifestyle. In 2014 and 2015, he participated in Urban Dare in Dallas. David T. Ball’s team won first place in 2014 and came in second the following year.

A unique team race, Urban Dare combines trivia, dares, and photo hunts with a race through the city of Dallas. In teams of two, people find different checkpoints throughout the city. At these checkpoints, the teams must take a photograph and perform a dare.

Dares can be either physical or mental and must be completed before the team earns passport stamps from that checkpoint. Once the dare is completed, teams must take the required photograph from the checkpoint with a digital camera or cell phone camera to prove they were there.

Each team is allowed to move between checkpoints according to its own plan. The winning team must cross the finish line first after completing all checkpoint dares and photographs. On average, the entire race takes two to four hours to complete.