One brand-new Cambodian tourist resort has just been boosted! Virtuous Woman's Breast Mountain located about 400 Kilometers from Phnom Penh. This resort is one of the most attractive resorts of Mondolkiri province, a province famed for its ethnic domination. This resort is not well-known like other resorts, due to its remoteness and road insecurity, but it is one of the Cambodia's priceless cultural/natural heritages. On the top of this mountain, tourists can see the whole Senmonorom downtown, the busiest downtown of Mondolkiri province.

Why Does This Mountain Have Such A Peculiar Name?

Because of her physical appearance! This mountain looks like a woman sleeping upright with her breasts point to the sky. This mountain's original name was "Chi Hove Hill", but was then renamed "Virtuous Woman's Breast Mountain" in 1961. The reason for changing her (the resort's name) is dependent on what stated above; her physical appearance.

Not only for the purpose of entertainment, Mondolkiri's inhabitants believe that this mountain also embraces divine power. Every year Pnong ethnic group (one of the ethnic groups, inhabited in Mondolkiri province) takes buffalo and their own wine to donate to holy-power-holders, so that they can wish for lucks, fortunes, merits...etc. This is one of the most spectacular ceremonies.

The Story

"Virtuous Woman's Breast" mountain has her unique story of why she has such a name. The story runs as follow:

Long ago, there was a man named Sroh and a woman named Plom. Two of them are engaged to one another. Two of them, without reason, vanished in this mountain in different times. Plom's disappearance happened when she went to get the water in one pond to be used in celebrating "Rice Ceremony". Her family tried really hard to get her back, by discovering everywhere and preying for god. And her future husband, Sroh, also vanished while finding the logs.

Too many years after, while Plom's parents were logging near the pond (that Plom got lost), they found Plom and Sroh talking with one another. Her parents took them back home. But we don't have information about what happened when two of them were losing. After the family reunion, the domestic inhabitants started to call the mountain: " Sroh-Plom Mountain". And later one, that mountain is called "Virtuous Woman's Breast" mountain, until today, without precise reason.

Due to Cambodia's lack of resource centers and scholars, I know that this story lacks too much useful information to make it easy to understand and reasonable. Much more information must be discovered by related institution, individuals and even I, myself.

Virtuous Woman's Breast" Mountain Today

Big or small, believe it or not, Cambodia has now stepped into betterment than the last two or three decades, many lost tourists' attractions are now continuously introducing to the world. Among them, "Virtuous Woman's Breast" mountain has attracted many tourists, domestically and internationally. But, it is far less than just enough for the survival of the people living in the area.

Tourists are exactly the most important sources for those people's welfare and basic needs. Your decisions to travel to "Virtuous Woman's Breast" mountain will be completing two things: healing your soul and helping the poor. Cambodia's public transports, infrastructure, and internal security are getting a lot better. We even have tour companies to escort you to the destination. The close culture of the minority groups living there is increasingly opening it up and accept new culture.

Cambodia has too many cultural and natural heritages that can be of valuable national revenues, but lack of promotions and handicap in international relation have veiled those precious magnets. Tourists, bureaucrats, the educated and all other, I think, would be able to effectively make a positive difference to Cambodia.

In all over the world, tourism always stands among the top priority in bringing national revenues, Cambodia, alike, is lucky to have been descended many heritages. France, for example, tourism plays extremely decisive role in increasing national revenues to the treasury. " Cambodia is lucky to have the materials, but we are even luckier if we can use the materials in the smartest way.

Note: The valuable thing for the people living in the area is "salt". So please, don't forget to bring packets of salt for them.