MV Doulos (South Harbor, Manila City)

The month of March ushers in summer in the Philippines. And with the headache-inducing heat in the past couple of days, it’s beyond doubt that summer is officially upon us dwellers of this 7,101-island archipelago.

I’m hesitant to start this article talking about summer, primarily because this is an article about the M/V Doulos, a floating bookstore that is currently docked at the Manila Harbor in Manila City. The opening line should ideally be like this: “The idea of leisurely poring over titles of books, browsing the contents to double-check if it’s a book worth buying, coupled with the fact of doing this relaxing pasttime in a ship docked at the harbor, is almost an irresistible draw for any bookworm.”

Or something of that sort.

Looking for a good book is an adventure by itself. Looking for a good book in a ship-bookstore is twice the adventure, I must say. Just drive the family to the parking lot, take a stroll in the shade and board the ship at will, sit in a corner and browse through a couple of titles, read for a while, order coffee if you like it, pay for the book, then off you go. No sweat.

But we were sweating a lot when we decided to visit the M/V Doulos, a Malta-registered ship owned and operated by a charitable trust registered in Germany. Adding to the the mix of countries is the fact that the crew are composed of various nationalities, including Filipinos. The crew, we understand, are volunteers and work for free.

Going back to the visit, it’s probably not the fault of the ship-bookstore why people lined up for almost an hour, slowly baking under the unforgiving heat of the summer sun. We went there on a Sunday and we didn’t anticipate that so many people would go there all at once. It was around 2:00 in the afternoon when we joined the line and the sun seemed hell-bent in giving us heat stroke. Those who brought umbrellas were luckier. Maybe they were told what to expect. We were clueless. Whoever said that ignorance is bliss surely didn’t line up here.

We wanted to check the books, the only reason why we willingly went through this version of lenten suffering. For our effort, we bought a business book and a number of children’s books. (I’m about to check at Fully Booked or Power Books if the price at M/V Doulos is indeed lower.)

The M/V Doulos will be docked at the South Harbor (Pier 13) until March 31. Now you know what to expect when you go.

How to go there? South Harbor is near the Manila Hotel, the Luneta, Museong Pambata and the Manila Ocean Park. Check the directions contained in those posts. For those who insist, take the first left-turn along Roxas Boulevard, right after the intersection with Padre Burgos (or right after the Manila Hotel if you’re coming the direction of Museong Pambata/Luneta). Then ask the security guard stationed at the gate. Enjoy the books (and the summer heat =).