Spending A Beautiful Sparkling Night By Boating Along The Pepe River
The 2024 Grebeg Sudiro cultural festival in Solo, Jawa Tengah, has once again sparked the attention of tourists. One of the attractions in the Grebeg Sudiro series is the tourist boat Pepe River to welcome and liven up the Chinese New Year celebrations in the city of Solo.
The Grebeg Sudiro boat tour starts on January 28 and ends on February 10, 2024. Only spending IDR 10,000 per person, visitors can enjoy the experience of riding a boat on a serene night with lanterns and beautiful murals on the river walls.
On this boat tour managed by Pokdarwis Sudiroprajan, Jebres District, passengers can sail the river starting from the pier behind the BRI Sudirman Branch, heading east 200 m before the Loji Wetan Kretek Gantung and return to the pier in Sudiroprajan Village, around 15 minutes.
According to the Chairman of Pokdarwis Sudiroprajan Basoeki Tjahjono, there are three boats provided to transport tourists who want to experience the sensation of boating at night, starting with the light of lanterns. His party opens this water tourism starting at 06.00 p.m.
''On the first day, because of the rainy weather, the number of visitors was not optimal. "In the future, we are optimistic that we will crowded by visitors," said Basoeki when contacted on Monday, January 29, 2024.
He also ensured that his party had implemented safety standards for this tourist boat so that visitors feel comfortable and safe while traveling on the water.
"There are safety standards that we apply. There are buoys and supervisors. So tourists don't need to worry," he explained.
The greatness of Kali Pepe
Basoeki also explained that the committee collaborated with various parties for this boat tour, including coordinating with the Bengawan Solo River Region Center (BBWS-BS) and the Solo City BPBD.
"The rainfall is quite high. So we are coordinating with BBWS-BS to regulate water discharge. BPDB is also helping to anticipate. In principle, there are supervisors, there are buoys," he explained.
He hopes that night boat tours at the Grebeg Sudiro event will become famous in the future and become a popular destination in the country.
This attraction also has historical tourism, because it is a reminder of the greatness of Pepe River Solo in the past. As a sign of Chinese and Javanese acculturation, there is a boat on the roof decorated with a dragon which is identical to Chinese culture.
In historical records, Pepe River was very famous in the 16th century. At that time, the influence of the Pajang Kingdom which was centered in Kartasura was very strong. Pepe River is also a link between Bandar Beton, Semanggi, and Pasar Gede. In his time, there was a bookie in the Pepe River area known as Chinatown City.
