Look at those people! Nakikita ba ninyo ako sa pila? hehehehe. Nope, we didn't line up to catch a glimpse of a local or foreign superstar nor were we going to attend a big prayer rally. Last Sunday, my kid friends and I joined thousands of other people who patiently waited in line for many hours for our turn to come on board this ship.
The M/V Doulos is the World's Largest Floating Book Shop according to the Guiness Book of World Records. Carrying over half a million books, the ship visits many countries all over the world to sell books at affordable prices.
Built in 1914, two years younger than the ship Titanic, it is also called the Grand Old Lady of the Sea because it is the oldest ocean-going passenger ship. It was named "Doulos," a Greek word meaning "servant."
Interestingly, the crew of Doulos is composed of 320 people who come from all over the world. And they are all volunteers. They do not receive any salary for their sevices in the ship. Many of them are talented young people who entertained us with songs and dances so we won't get bored in the loooooong queue.
Before we left the ship, my friend who's a rookie photographer managed to take this beautiful shot of the ship.
It was getting late but hundreds of people were still willing to wait to get on board. If the number of people who visited Doulos was an indication of the number of Filipinos who love books, then it's a good sign.