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Cambodian Resort: “Virtuous Woman’s Breast” Mountain

by Lay Vicheka

March 25, 2005  

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.  

“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.

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Others of My Publications: 

The Rasmey Kampuchea Daily

ª How To Mentally Motivate Learning. Nº 3601, Sunday-Monday, 13-14, February 2005. 

ª Why Study? Nº 3570, Saturday, 08, January 2005. 

ª The Advantages of Serious Stance. Nº 3556, Thursday, 23, December 2004. 

ª Drug and Scholarship Addiction, Which One You Stand For? Nº 3544, Thursday, 09, December 2004. 

ª Writers and Singers Should Not Single-mindedly Write and Sing Only “Love For Love” Songs. Year Nº12, Nº3538, Thursday 02 nd November 2004.

ª Women and Barriers To Social Participations. N º 3499, Sunday-Monday, 17-18, October 2004.

The Kampuchea Thmey Daily:

ª Government-ness. Year Nº4, Nº690, Wednesday 23 March 2005.

ª One Form of Law. Year Nº4, Nº688, Sunday-Monday 20-21 March 2005.

ª One Point That The Royal Government of Cambodia Should Follow America. Year Nº4, Nº685, Thursday 17 March 2005.

ª One Advantage of Law. Year Nº4, Nº683, Tuesday 15 March 2005.

ª Why Conflict? Year Nº4, Nº 675, Saturday 05 March 2005.

ª A Request For A New Way of Humanitarian Relief. Year Nº4, Nº 674, Friday 04 March 2005.

World Wide Webs  

ª March 13, 2005. Cambodia: A Glimpse Into One Uncivilized Action: http://talesofasia.com/rs-66-uncivilized.htm

ª March 12, 2005. One Reason Tennessee Prospers: http://pages.prodigy.net/nhn.slate/nh00073.html

ª March 07 2005. A Glimpse Into Cambodian New Year Festival: http://www.talesofasia.com/rs-65-newyear.htm

ª February 28, 2005. A Look At How Cambodian People Resolve and Prevent Conflict Through Cultural Values: http://talesofasia.com/rs-63-values.htm

ª January 03, 2005. Cambodian Women and Barriers To Social Participation: http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/barriers.htm

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The author is a second year student of law at the University of Phnom Penh.

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