Head to the East Coast to welcome the first light of dawn and get great gifts!

By Wei Ruyu, compiled and reported

The first ray of dawn in 2012 appeared first at the Sanxiantai Recreation Area on the East Coast. The Eastern Coastal National Scenic Area Administration under the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications specially arranged an event full of “aboriginal” flavor, featuring ancient Amis chants and the Dance of the Sun, as well as a giant LED water pipe light formation of the number 101 on the beach. On-site, hundreds of visitors were invited to lie within the 101 formation while listening to the powerful beats of the Amis Paobao drums to welcome together the first ray of dawn in 2012. The event also offered 200 people a free two-hour eco-guided bicycle tour of Sanxiantai, allowing visitors to take in the beautiful scenery of the area.

Currently, both train and airline companies are offering special package deals. The TRA Dawn Cruise Train departs from Tainan on the evening of December 31 and arrives at Taitung Railway Station via the South-Link Line. The Eastern Coastal National Scenic Area Administration provides shuttle buses to Sanxiantai for welcoming the dawn. Mandarin Airlines offers a two-day, one-night Taitung-Green Island Dawn Tour starting December 31, priced from NT$5,990 per person; Uni Air has launched New Year’s Eve specials from December 29–31, including a Green Island 101 Dawn Two-Day Tour starting from NT$5,690 per person and a Taitung Zhiben Laoye Free & Easy Two-Day Tour starting from NT$3,999 per person.

In addition, the Eastern Coastal National Scenic Area Administration has also launched the “Mobile East Coast – Green Backpack Pearl Tour,” producing 3,000 backpacker travel guidebooks and offering a free smartphone download service for the “Mobile East Coast APP.” With just a mobile device in hand, travelers can explore 15 pearl routes across Hualien and Taitung. From now until the end of June 2012, those who successfully download the Mobile East Coast APP and travel along the pearl routes will receive triple rewards: First, a chance to win a NT$500 7-ELEVEN gift voucher; second, a certified route from the [2nd East Coast Travel Masters]; third, by using the APP to check in at five pearl locations or collecting two pearl consumption stamps via the guidebook, participants can enter a lucky draw to win prizes such as Mandarin Airlines tickets, iPads, and iPhones.

For more details about the related events, please visit the Eastern Coastal National Scenic Area Administration’s website at www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw/.