Saturday, February 25, 2012

Manila Cheap Thrills: The Floating Bookstore

I was so thrilled when I found out that MV Logos Hope will be docked in Manila. MV Logos is a floating bookstore that sails around the world to sell cheap books and promote charity. I wasn’t able to get on board its predecessor, MV Doulos, which docked three years ago because I was too busy taking care of my then 6-month-old baby. So now that Marion’s three, there’s no reason not to go!

When we arrived at Pier 15, lots of teens and young families were walking really fast to beat the others for the queue. I was a bit surprised to see that the line wasn’t that long as what I imagined. Luckily, Logos can accommodate up to 800 people at a time. After we paid for the entrance fee (P20 for adults, free for children below 12), we were on our way to get inside the ship.

We were greeted by the smell of popcorn. The crew instructed us to get inside the theater for a short orientation about MV Logos. After 10 minutes, they let us enter the bookshop. They had to do everything really quick to keep up with the traffic.

The bookshop was very crowded when we got inside. It was as if we were in an air-conditioned flea market minus the noise. There were over 5,000 book titles of really affordable books. Marion got fascinated by numerous children’s books near the entrance. I automatically searched for my favorite authors but sadly, I didn’t find one. Do not expect to find books by Kundera, Fitzgerald, Tolstoy and the likes. But I’m a book-lover so I can still appreciate any book that’s good and cheap. Hugo got some for himself, too.
Lots of bumping and grinding and pushing and pulling later, we paid for our books. You really can’t stay too long because you’ll get pushed by the swarm of newcomers. After paying for our books, we followed a pathway that lead to their cafeteria. We had ice cream and popcorn and hotdogs. Look at what Marion did to her popcorn.

This was supposed to be a cheap adventure but I spent way more than expected because we bought lots of books. I don’t have regrets, though, because the books are so cheap.

MV Logos will leave Manila on March 14. They will proceed to Subic Bay where they would be open from March 16 until April 8.

Location:
Pier 15, South Harbor, Manila

Entrance fee:
P20/head
Free for kids 12 years and below