A Floating Bookstore

     It's been raining cats and dogs for days. I'm told that this is supposed to happen in December, not now, at the end of August.  Must be climate change at work.  
    Anyway, I was getting cabin fever big-time, so between raindrops, I hopped a bus and headed down to the waterfront to check out the " World's Largest Floating Library."  It's a really big ship that used to be a passenger ferry.  Now it's owned by a German firm called "GBA," which stands for "Good Books for All."  And that's just what it does--it brings books to people all over the world.  This particular ship is called "Logos Hope" and it'll be here in Penang for about a month.  
   I'm glad I went when I did--on a Friday afternoon when most folks were at work.  I'm sure on weekends and during this upcoming holiday period, it'll be just teeming with folks.  As it was, it was a pleasantly calm and interesting experience.

        First, visitors go up the gangway.  I've never been on a cruise (yet!), so this was pretty exciting in and of itself.  Once inside, you pay your paltry RM 1 admission fee--that's like 30 cents US--a token amount.  Then you round the corner into a bookstore, a real bookstore that looks exactly like one.
     So, what kinds of books are for sale in this "floating bookstore"?  Well, it IS a Christian operation, though there was no mention of that in the local media publicity about it.  So there's a sizable selection of Bibles and Christian study materials.  There is also an excellent selection of children's books and some nice "how-to" and special-interest books on subjects ranging from sports to handcrafts to art, and much more.  There are also books and materials for teaching English to kids.  What they don't have is any paperback fiction, which is understandable but disappointing.  Prices were denoted in "units," and 100 units is equal to RM8.  The reason, of course, is so they don't have to re-price every book when they get to a new country.  They just post a new price conversion poster explaining how much of the local currency is equal to one "unit."  
     On the way out is a room with new college textbooks.  You can get three of them "free" if you buy a Logos Hope tote bag for RM 40.  There are also a number of new-old CDs, which means that they're from ten years ago or so, but still in their band-new pristine packaging.  Some are Christian music, some are 80s pop music and some are "mood music," like new age stuff, Celtic instrumentals and other assorted "muzak." If you buy two at RM5 each, you get a third one free.  I fell for that one and came away with six CDs all told.

   On the way out, I was quite impressed to find a spacious coffee shop  with reasonable prices and delicious muffins and sweets made right there onboard.  It would be a great place to just sit and chat with a friend, which several people were doing.  There's even a kids' entertainment table or two, where people can sit and entertain their children while the adults shop for books.
     The whole ship is awash in cheerful Christian volunteers who sign on for a two-year stint on board the ship, supported by donations from their friends, family, home churches, etc.  They try to sit and chat with each and every guest, though that must be a challenge when people throng the ship.  Evidently they get around a million visitors a year and have some 5,000 books onboard. But  in addition to providing books at reduced prices, the crew also goes ashore to do community action and Christian relief activities as needed in the local area.  There's a lot more to it than simply selling books, but they certainly do that well.  It's definitely worth a visit!