JP\/17\/BREW<\/p>\n
Sleman launches new tourist resort in Gamplong<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Sleman, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The usually quiet riverine village of Gamplong, some 40
\nkilometers southwest of Yogyakarta, looked completely different
\nlast Monday evening.<\/p>\n
This ordinary hamlet was adorned with decorations to welcome
\nguests, as the old-style village prepared to hold a traditional
\nfestival.<\/p>\n
On both sides of the narrow, dusty road heading to the
\nvillage, kerosene-fueled lamps, locally known as senthir, had
\nbeen hung.<\/p>\n
In their traditional Javanese costumes, the villagers gathered
\nunder the full moon and solemnly chanted the religious hadrah
\nshalawat (invocation songs). The rhythmic beat of a terbang
\n(tambourine-like instrument) accompanied the chant.<\/p>\n
Sleman Regent Ibnu Subiyanto and the head of the regency's
\nagricultural and forestry office, Achmad Yulianto, were present,
\nalong with dozens of representatives of local travel and tourist
\nagencies.<\/p>\n
Gamplong, located on the banks of Progo River in the western
\npart of Sleman regency, was being officially inaugurated as a
\ntourist village on Monday. The village will now also be known as
\nthe Pantai (pantai means beach) Cemplon tourist resort.<\/p>\n
\"Gamplong deserves to be named a tourist village. It has
\neverything that a tourist resort needs, including a handicraft
\ncenter, old traditions, historical elements and beautiful views,\"
\nIbnu Subiyanto said in his speech.<\/p>\n
However, more than a few people were left wondering about the
\nvillage's new name. Gamplong lies along Progo River, on the
\nborder between Sleman and Kulonprogo regencies, far from the sea.<\/p>\n
A local elder, Dharto Sudiono, 65, said the name was picked to
\ncommemorate an event that occurred in the 1940s, when a major
\nlandslide and flood hit the village.<\/p>\n
\"About one and a half kilometers of the eastern riverbank
\nslide down, forming an oval cavity along the riverbank. It looked
\nlike a cemplon (a traditional cake made of fried cassava dough
\nwith coconut sugar inside), so people called the place Pantai
\nCemplon,\" Dharto said.<\/p>\n
Pantai Cemplon does have the potential to become a tourist
\ndestination. In the face of modernization, the quaint village has
\nbeen able to preserve its old traditions. Every full moon, for
\ninstance, residents gather around the village square for a
\ndiscussion and to chant hadrah shalawat while beating their
\nterbang. The ritual is called tirakatan.<\/p>\n
\"It has been our tradition for years. We keep it because it is
\nuseful for maintaining harmony and bringing the villagers closer
\ntogether,\" Dharto said.<\/p>\n
Home to some 900 families, Pantai Cemplon, is also
\nconsiderably green. It offers everything that a tourist needs for
\na bit of self-contemplation and relaxation among the soothing
\nquiet of nature.<\/p>\n
One of the local natural attractions is the small lake known
\nas Sendang Karangnongko, whose clear water is believed to have
\nthe supernatural power to rejuvenate women.<\/p>\n
\"What you need to do to get the supernatural power of the lake
\nis wash your face with water from it every morning,\" said Dharto,
\na retired civil servant.<\/p>\n
The village, too, is rich in plants and trees such as
\nmahogany, acacia and turi (sesbania). From one of the village's
\nhigher clusters of houses, people can enjoy the beautiful scenery
\nof the region, including the meandering Progo River.<\/p>\n
Gamplong was also once a renowned handicraft center of
\ntraditional woven cloth, and was as well the place where national
\nhero Pangeran Diponegoro once took shelter while escaping the
\ncolonial Dutch army, Dwi Atmo Wibowo, 51, said.<\/p>\n
Dwi Atmo said the management of Gamplong as a tourist village
\nwould be carried out through a newly established association,
\nDewigama, comprising representatives of the village's five
\nclusters. The association will develop and maintain the village's
\ntourist attractions, including the natural sights, the
\ntraditions, the history and the craft center.<\/p>\n
\"It is also through the association that we will discuss how
\nto maintain and develop all our potential, as well as how to
\nmarket them to tourists,\" Dwi Atmo said.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the ceremony, Sleman Regent Ibnu said the new
\nstatus given to Gamplong would hopefully improve the welfare of
\nresidents, as tourist visits would have a multiple effect
\neconomically.<\/p>\n
\"The handicraft center will reemerge, and so will other
\neconomic sectors,\" Ibnu said.<\/p>\n
He said the local government would do its best to help improve
\nthe tourist business in the village, including providing support
\nfacilities and infrastructure for the local community.<\/p>\n
\"But most of all, we have to promote the village and inform
\ntravel and tourist agencies about it,\" said Ibnu.<\/p>\n
Thanks to promotion efforts, a group of some 200 tourists are
\nscheduled to visit the new tourist resort of Pantai Cemplon in
\nGamplong village next week.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp17brew-1447899208",
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