Penghu is an archipelago off the western coast of Taiwan. The best way to describe it is quiet, clean, and colorful. The main island is about 8 km long and about 6 km wide. It's around 50 km from the coast. A 20 minute plane ride from Taichung airport gets me to the Magong airport on the main island. There are lots of cactus on the island. This thorny guy greets me at our first stop at the visitor center.
We land in the afternoon on Friday. We take a bus north and cross a bridge to Baisha island. There are little ports all over Penghu. We stop at the Tongliang Great Banyan tree. The banyan tree is three hundred years old. Since fishing is the main industry in Penghu there are many temples. Fishing is a dangerous job.
Coral is used in all the old structures of the island, and throughout the islands are coral walls protecting small gardens from the winds. 
Prickly pear fruit near the banyan tree. A vendor sells prickly pear ice cream. Yum!
After Baisha we cross another long bridge to the island of Xiyu. There we see a traditional Erkan village.
The houses have coral walls with stucco.Tiles, wood, and stonework adorn the walls, doors, and streets of the ancient village.
A small rock garden with coral walls.
On Saturday we get up early and take a boat south to the island of Hujingyu. This is the port of Hujingyu. We take a bus to the bluffs over the town and visit a large statue of Buddha and some of his disciples. The pose and expression reveals each disciples view of Buddhism.
This is our next stop on the island of Wan-An. We stop at the Green Sea Turtle Tourism and Conservation Center before visiting the traditional Huazhai village.
On our way back to Magong we stop at the island of Tongpanyu to visit the Tongpanyu Geopark. Many of the island in the archipelago have dramatic cliffs of columnar basalt. You can see how prickly pear flourishes on these islands too.
What do they do with all those old buoys?
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