Philippine Travel Notes: Happy Jimalalud

Posted by : Jimalalud Online Forum Thursday, June 20, 2013


Official Seal of the Municipality of Jimalalud
Photo and article courtesy of Philippine Travel Notes
The little big town. That’s how they call their town. I did not get to know what they say they are big for or what they are little for. I liked being in this happy town anyway. Maybe it was the time of day (a cloudy 2:30PM) or day of the week (Friday) such that surprisingly, everywhere I went, people in this town seemed to be jollier than anywhere else in the province I have visited. Any face I looked at, there was a smile. Even when they themselves conversed with each other, and I pretended not to be eavesdropping, people in this town were just really animatedly happier. Some would even wave at me with a smile as they or I passed by.

Tongue twister again?! Ah this one is easier! The town’s name is pronounced in 4 syllables, ‘Ji’ is pronounced like the English word ‘he’ or the ‘hi’ in Himalaya. Remember that! The ‘ma’ is pronounced as you would call your mom. Then ‘la’ is also pronounced as is, like when you sing ‘la la la la la’. And the ‘lud’ is pronounced like a quick ‘lood’. It sounds like the ‘lud’ in ‘ludicrous’ and not in ‘lewd’. Easy, right? So, its “ji-ma-la-lud” pronounced in the speed and accent as you would say ‘Himalaya’ – reminding you that the ‘la’ is pronounced like ‘luh’ instead of ‘lay’ even itself in the word ‘Himalaya’! Okay?! Now the folks from Jimalalud call themselves Jimalaludnon, and that’s when my tongue starts to tangle hehe!

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Note: Originally published in Philippine Travel Notes (philippinetravelnotes .blogspot.com). Posted with permission from the author; 12 June 2013 via Twitter. Thanks @pinoytraveler!

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