After close to two weeks of being stranded on the main island of Taiwan, Lanyu residents finally get to go home. Lanyu Island, or Orchid Island, is off the southeast coast of Taiwan. Recent seasonal winds and big waves prevented the ferries from bringing them home safely earlier.
This long line of people are not going on vacation. They’re on their way home after being stuck on Taiwan proper for two weeks. That’s because ferries from Taitung to offshore island Lanyu stopped operation for many days due to northeasterly seasonal winds that were causing dangerous waves on the sea.
A resident said a four-day long weekend turned into an 11-day vacation. Some teachers couldn’t get back in time to teach class. That meant the few substitute teachers on the island had to scramble to fill in their shoes.
Besides allowing the residents to go home, the ferries can finally ship supplies across to Lanyu where foods and medical supplies were starting to run low. Lanyu residents are calling on the government to resolve the problem of unreliable transportation to and from the island.