Road to Grenada
Many people remember Grenada only for the United States' brief invasion in 1983. However, one Butler Township man found a lot more.
Lew Liparulo, 59, traveled to the Caribbean island, located about 100 miles northeast of Venezuela, last August.
His son, Todd, attends veterinary school at St. George's University there, and he invited his father to visit.
Liparulo had been unable to make the trip in the past.
“Then, last summer, we just bit the bullet,” Liparulo said. He was in Grenada Aug. 4th through the 11th.
When Liparulo landed in Grenada, his son and some friends greeted him at the airport and the group went straight to the beach.
Grenada is a volcanic island, which leads to black and gray sand. However, many beaches have white sand trucked in, which Liparulo said added a lot to the experience.
“It was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” Liparulo said.
After that, the group ate and Liparulo decided to call it an early night to rest from the long flight.
The next day, Liparulo got up and took a walk. He particularly appreciated the architecture.
“Some of the houses are just unbelievable,” Liparulo said.
Following that, it was back to the beach.
The highlight of the trip, Liparulo said, was the island's Carnival celebration which includes masked mummers, a parade and the J'ouvert, which is a large street party.
J'ouvert was started in the late 1700s by Caribbean slaves who were banned from the main Carnival and wanted their own version. Liparulo said many participants cover themselves in oil and wear chains. Trucks filled with people playing steel drums make a lot of noise. Men shoot fire while some partiers wear paint and try to rub it on passers-by. The streets are absolutely packed, he said.
“The place was completely filled up,” Liparulo said. “You couldn't even move left or right. You have to be there to visualize it.”The event went from midnight to 9 a.m. Liparulo, his son and some friends spent the whole time dancing, walking around, people-watching and generally having a good time.“If you would have asked me if I would have liked it, I would have said ‘no.' But, it's just one more experience to put in your pocket,” Liparulo said.For Todd, who has lived in Grenada for three years, this was his first time at the event, as well.“It was just a great time,” Liparulo said.Liparulo also got a chance to visit his son's college. The campus as beautiful, he said, with all of the buildings having the same color scheme.“Everything matches, everything's beautiful. It was a pretty amazing sight,” Liparulo said.Todd took him to the room where he works and introduced him to his professors. Liparulo was impressed by his son's potential future.“To me, it was earth- shattering that my son is going to be a doctor,” Liparulo said.Another thing Liparulo appreciated was the natural scenery. Grenada is less developed than other Caribbean islands, partially due to volcanic activity and steep hills. During his flight, Liparulo saw Barbados and St. Vincent islands, which were much more crowded and urbanized.He spent some time in the Grand Etang National Park and Forest Reserve. Liparulo and Todd went into the rain forest shortly after a shower. The pathways were slippery and no animals were to be found, but Liparulo said the forest was beautiful.“It was really a pretty neat experience,” Liparulo said.Additionally, he said the sunsets on the island were particularly nice.However, the infrastructure was lacking. The roads were packed with cars and in poor condition, and there were few traffic lights.“So, anywhere you go in a car is an experience,” Liparulo said.Many houses do not have central air conditioning due to high electricity costs, making the tropical climate tough to deal with at times.Despite these drawbacks, Liparulo found the people very friendly on his first trip to the Caribbean. A physical education teacher at Center Township and Center Avenue elementary schools, Liparulo is also the varsity boys volleyball coach at Butler High School. Because of his many commitments, he often does not have a chance to take such big trips.“I'm not a big vacationer. I never really took a lot of time,” Liparulo said.However, he would not rule out a follow-up excursion to the island. He said it was “cool” to be able to immerse himself in the culture of Grenada.“When you get older, you just want to have experiences,” he said.
Lew Liparulo, with his son Todd in Grenada at left, is a physical education teacher atCenter Township and Center Avenue elementary schools.The Butler Township man is also the varsity boys volleyball coach at Butler High School. Todd attends veterinary school at St. George's University in Grenada.In August, Lew made his first trip to Grenada to visit his son and soak up some of the island culture.
