Thinking Global in the USA #4: Jungle Jim's International Market - Fairfield, Ohio

Jungle Jim's Entry, Photo by Krenda

How can a grocery store provide an international experience?  If you visit Jungle Jim's grocery store in Fairfield, Ohio, you take your mind to 75 countries through food.  While living in Ohio, this store provided both education and entertainment.  When we had visitors, it was a must stop attraction with no entrance fee and lots of wonder.

Let's start with the numbers.  This place has scale, spanning seven acres.  Even the food inside has scale.  Just visit the 781-pound block of cheese.  If you like variety like me, you can explore to your hearts desire with 180,000 items and 60,000 International items.  Certain sections seem disproportionately big including the wine section (15,000 different wines -one of the largest collections in the United States), beer section (4,000 beers), cheese (1,400), and honey (140 types).  It takes 700 employees to operate this business.

You'll have to choose the store entrance.  The one closer to the parking lot entrance, across from the garden center, is relatively plain (for Jungle Jim's) with the NASCAR racing car and animatronic corn and butter inside.  Keep walking to see the talking Campbell's soup can.  I usually drive further to the main entrance.  I like to take a moment and enjoy the sounds of a waterfall and jungle calls when entering the grocery store.  I may snap some photos of the fiberglass giraffes, gorillas, pelicans, and elephants.  Past the wine and bakery section, I also stop to wait for the animatronic Lion dressed as Elvis and will sing you a song every five minutes. 

Fruits and vegetables acts as my favorite section.  The naturally colorful section entices me to try something new.  Although others have warned me to stay away from the durian.  I also like to look up at this point to see the "Cereal Band" play in a 55-foot boat between the fruit and seafood section. 

Keep walking towards the seafood live tanks and non-perishable international sections, clearly labeled.  Every corner of the store has delight, look up and you'll find a Robin Hood like scene with a horse and giant tree.  The Europe section has delightful facades representing each country.  The tiny theater with a video about the store origin is a must visit nook.  The message of the owner Jim and his determination is one you want your kids to hear.  He talks about starting as a farmers market worker to finding land and convincing local authorities in 1975 to give him a permit for a fruit and vegetable market.  His message rings loud and clear to follow your dreams.

Jungle Jim just kept expanding.  There's an event center and strip mall in the same lot.  My company had an outing to the store because it has a cooking school.  As a team building event, we made apricot stuffed dates.  So delicious and I conveniently ended at a location that takes my mind everywhere just by shopping.

If you or your kids need a restroom, don't let the Rumpke portable toilet facade fool you.  Open the door to modern, award winning bathrooms.  Jungle Jim not only exhibits determination and creativity, he has a sense of humor too.

Geography #3: Belize and Cave Tubing Adventure

My husband and I had an amazing jungle river boat tour in Belize while I was pregnant with our second child.  Our fearless guide took the boat right up to a crocodile leaping into the air and splashing back into the water.  Our guide pulled  the boat close to shore, so we could see the giant iguanas hanging from the trees.  Our guide enthusiastically insisted we all need to move to Belize, really not that dangerous of a country.  We bought wooden bowls and vases at a local market in the jungle.  Our items wrapped in newspaper gave us reading material on the bus including the story of a foreigner murdered yesterday.  

Sharing the photographs would have been amazing...except my husband left the camera memory card in the Norwegian cruise ship room safe.  We had to return to Belize someday.  Who would know how to top such experience?  Pauline Frommer!  The award-winning travel writer would speak at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show.  So I asked Pauline and she quickly replied that we must take the family cave tubing!

Not too many places offer cave tubing.  However, Belize has the largest cave systems in the Americas.  Humans have discovered over 300 caves in Belize and still looking for more.  The Dark Night Three Cave Tubing Adventure Cave Exploration tour takes you to a journey deep into Jaguar Cave.  Jaguar tracks left in the soil led to the cave name.  While I kept my eyes out for jaguars, I had a two surprise.  

Surprise #1 - Friendly Scorpion

The first surprise came after the hour plus bus ride including a bumpy section over a dirt road.  Employees warned us to use the restrooms because the trails had no restroom.  The signs clearly stated not to throw paper in the toilet.  I didn't expect the scorpion crawling out of the wastebasket.  I didn't freak out.  In fact, I waited patiently for the opportunity to photograph him.  I didn't follow the scorpion too long.  It's generally unwise to stalk a venomous animal.  I told my husband about the scorpion and he shrugged.  If your spouse lived in South America for a year and Spain for a year, you can get shrugs.  As if I just told him I saw a fluffy, cute cat or dog.  For goodness sakes, I probably just say a centruroides gracilis, the most common black scorpion in Belize.  

Surprise #2 -Termite-Eating Guide

The second surprise came from our tour guide.  Before you get to tubing, you hike in the rainforest, across wooden bridges, and near towering cliffs.  The caving tour company claimed guides were versed on jungle plants, herbal medicine, and Mayan history.  Boy, our guide more than delivered.  From Mayan descent, his father taught him at a young age how to survive in the thick rainforest.  He seemed to know every plant and animal.  At one point, he stops to show us termites and encourage us try them.  Surprise!  Termites are packed in protein!  You should eat them!  Despite my enthusiasm for protein, I let the guide eat the termites.  The kids really liked our guide as he let the kids climb vines and ask lots of questions.  

Historically the Belize citizens used caves were for sacred rituals and ceremonies and caves could cause fear.  You need not fear the caves.  The guides give you headlamps and it never seemed pitched dark to me.  The Jaguar Cave has enormous 100-foot ceilings.  I think even claustrophobic people would enjoy this cave tubing.  Indian Creek's calm waters let us enjoy the views.  Emerging out of the cave made for a beautiful scene of blue skies, bright blue green water, and green plants surrounding us.  

After all the hiking, we had quite the appetite and so grateful for the local lunch included.  Chicken, stew, and beans brought back good taste and scent memories of visiting Central America.

The neat part of the long bus ride was having the opportunity to see the city, the countryside, and even the above ground cemeteries.  I booked the excursion through the Royal Caribbean cruise.  The cruise traveled to Belize, Honduras, and Mexico.  Read about our dolphin excursions in Honduras in my article "Dolphin Kisses".  Travelers know that you can't just appreciate the destination, you need to appreciate the journey too.  A special thank you to Pauline Frommer, encouraging us to take another adventure.

x

Animal Lesson #3: 7 Places with Parrots

Parrots, their feathers are more vibrant and colorful than any fabric we can make. Isn't it funny how we try to mimic nature?

Yet nature still prevails as the most interesting, the most vibrant.  Kids love the bright colors too.  Parrots tend to entertain everyone because of their ability to mimic human voices and laughter.  Teach your kids the term "zygodactyl".  It's a term that means 4 toes on each foot with 2 toes that point forward and 2 toes that point backwards.  It's also one of the features needed for a bird to be classified as a parrot.  The bird must also have a curved beak to classify as a parrot.

 

I had a parrot on my shoulder at Gumbalimba Park in Roatan, Honduras.  While wild parrots tend to live in the warm areas of the Southern Hemisphere, you don't need to travel to a foreign country to see a parrot.

Here's 7 places to spot a parrot in the United States:
1. Jungle Island, formerly called Parrot Jungle Island, Miami, Florida; $35 adult, $27 child http://www.jungleisland.com/public/explore/admission/index.cfm

2.  Animal Gardens featuring Echo the talking and singing parrot as seen on America's Got Talent, Delavan, Wisconsin; $10 adult or child, additional for Dancing Horses Show http://www.animalgardens.com/tix.htm

3. Sea World in Orlando, Florida; $71 kids, $79 adults; http://seaworldparks.com/seaworld-orlando

4.  Rolling Ridge Ranch offers wagon tours in Millersburg, Ohio; $11 kids; $16 adults; http://www.visitrollingridge.com/animal-park-african-grey-parrot.html

5.  San Diego Zoo in California (and many other zoos across the nation); $34 kids; $44 adults;
http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/

6.  Parrot Mountain and Gardens, Pigeon Forge, TN, $8 kids, $16 adults http://www.parrotmountainandgardens.com/

7.  Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo, Sevierville, TN; $7 kids, $12 adult, check site for coupon at http://www.rfadventures.com/

If you are looking for a way to give back to both parrots and veterans, contact Serenity Park Parrot Sanctuary located in CA outside the VA hospital http://www.parrotcare.org/Parrots.html

Any other places you recommend where kids can see parrots?

Geography #1: Honduras and Capuchin Monkeys

The white face capuchin monkeys jumped onto the head of a small boy and we all giggled with glee.  If you have an opportunity to visit Roatan, Honduras, consider visiting Gumbalimba park in West Bay instead of a full day at the beach.  Walk through their outdoor botanical gardens.  Have patience for a parrot to land on your shoulder.  Watch the capuchin monkeys swing from tree to tree.

As one of the most intelligent monkeys in the world, capuchin monkeys have been known to use tools as weapons and for getting food.  They even have been trained to assist paraplegic persons.  Social in nature, capuchins often live in troops of approximately 16 members.
Gumbalimba park in West Bay, Roatan, Honduras.

Capuchins are native to Central and South America.  However, if you want to take your kids to see monkeys in the United States, here's three sites:
 1) Gibbon Conservation Center (Santa Clarita, CA) opens 9:30 to Noon Sat. & Sun., offering tours at 10AM ($15 adult, $5 child age 6-12), volunteer opportunities for adminstrative work, kitchen, and landscaping
2) Monkey Jungle (Miami, FL) established in 1935, it now has 30 acres and approximately 90 Java monkeys; some monkeys may show their water skills as they wade into the pond; home of the DeMond Conservancy for Primates & Tropical Forests

Parents can also show their support by volunteering time or donating:
1) Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary (Gainsville, FL) sign up to volunteer for various tasks such as cleaning, feeding, or landscaping (7-11AM, 11-3PM, 3-7PM) cater to monkeys confiscated or retired from research, see capuchins, marmosets, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and tamarins

2) Born Free USA, a BBB accredited charity, includes a division "The Primate Sanctuary" supporting a 186 acre sanctuary near San Antonio, TX caring for 600 residents - baboons, macaques, and vervets

3) Primate Rescue Center, BBB accredited charity since 2000, located in central Kentucky

4) Primarily Primates USA (Bexar County, TX), BBB accredited charity

If you do visit Gumbalimba park, there's so much to do.  My husband took the canopy cables down from the mountain, using 17 stations and cables to meet me on the ground.                        Having ample time, my patience paid off as a parrot landed on my shoulder.  While the "pirate cave" onsite felt a bit commercial, the sandy white beach and clear blue water felt so natural.  We made friends and snorkeled to discover marine animals.

Animal Lesson #6: Jack Hanna Inspires

I remember watching the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on a very small tv set at my grandparents house and imagining all the adventures.  Those shows ran from 1963 to 1988.  Now kids watch Jack Hanna and the Kratt Brothers on PBS public tv for animal adventure and conservation stories (we also saw Kratt Brothers, blog story coming soon). 

"Jungle Jack" began his tv appearances much earlier as a frequent guest on the Late Night Show with host David Letterman.  Now Jack Hanna stars in numerous shows including Into the Wild, Animal Adventures, and Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown.


If your kids have special interest in a celebrity, look up whether they tour.  In this case, Jack Hanna travels around the nation giving a live animal show.  He brings a variety of animals including a cheetah, sloth, koala, and echidna.

We saw the show in Kentucky.  Jack had just arrived back to the United States from Africa and still gave a high energy show.  Jack has a home in Africa and has special interest in conserving gorillas in Africa.  He supports Partners in Conservation (PIC) which benefits mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

If Jack Hanna doesn't travel to your community, consider a trip to a zoo or conservation site to celebrate animal conservation.  In direct connection to Jack, visit the Columbus Zoo where Jack held the Director position.

What:  Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Where:  Columbus, Ohio
 Cost:  $14.99 child (age 3-9), $19.99 adult, $10 parking
 Check out times for "Animals on Safari Show"

The Wilds conservation park, also located in Ohio and connected to Jack provides kids the opportunity to learn animal conservation.  Jack filmed a show at this location.  We also took the kids to The Wilds, check out my blog story. 
Consider learning about other animal lovers.  Jack connected to Betty White, known for her love for dogs, "In 2014 one of my dreams came true when Betty White graciously joined me for the opening of Heart of Africa..." Jack Hanna, Jack Hanna website.  I've also met Betty White.  Blog story coming soon...