With the Lunar New Year nearly upon us, transport links between Taiwan and the outlying Penghu Islands are being stretched thin as islanders working elsewhere return home to their families.
The Penghu Islands are a group of 90 islands that sit off Taiwan’s west coast in the Taiwan Strait. Many natives of these islands move to Taiwan’s big cities to work and study, but when the Lunar New Year comes around, they return home en masse to visit family.
Thanks to Taiwan’s success in fighting off COVID-19, this year is no exception. Airlines have increased the size of the planes used to operate flights to the island’s main airport, and ferries to the islands are packed, too.
For many, getting to the islands is just the beginning of a long journey home—most transit links from Taiwan stop at the islands’ main town, Magong, but there are 90 islands in total, and further ferry trips leaving from Magong are the only way to get to most of them. It’s no wonder that people started leaving early, getting up before dawn on Wednesday to set out.
Once the holiday is over, they’ll do the whole trip again in reverse. It’s tiring, but travelers from the islands say there’s no feeling as good as being at home for the holiday.