Bangkok Port and the Doulos Hope

In all of my years living in Bangkok, I had never made my way down to Bangkok Port, but on a recent rainy afternoon, Pinky and I found ourselves sitting in the back of a songthaew making our way down to Pier 3 where the MV Doulos Hope had docked for the month.

Bangkok Port, also called Khlong Toei Port, is one of the busiest container ports in the world. Located along the lower part of the Chao Phraya River, not far from where the river meets the sea, Bangkok Port is one of the most important cargo hubs in Southeast Asia and accounts for a large part of the Thai economy.

The Port Authority of Thailand manages the oceangoing shipping in and out of Bangkok, and also manages Port FC, a team in the Thai Football League's Division 1 that has a large and loyal following among expats. I'm not sure why most foreigners seem to choose to support Port over other Bangkok-based soccer teams, but I'd love to attend a game someday to find out. We passed by Port's stadium on our way to visit the Doulos Hope.

Launched in 1989 as the cruise ship Lady Sarah, the Doulos Hope was retired and reoutfitted in 2022 when it was purchased by the German faith-based charity Gute Bücher für Alle (which means "Good Books for All", in case that wasn't completely obvious!).

It had been storming fiercely all day, and we had to walk over a sort of makeshift bridge made from wooden pallets to reach the ship. We climbed up a steep ladder and stepped on board the Doulos Hope.

Today, Doulos Hope, whose name means "Servant of Hope", is a floating book fair that sails around the world docking for weeks at a time in major cities. It, along with its larger sister ship the MV Logos Hope, share the same mission.

Proceeds from the book sales raise money to purchase books and supply aid and community care for underfunded schools, hospitals, orphanages, and prisons around the world. I think that education is one of the most important things in life, and I believe that the mission of GBA is a really noble one. I was more than happy to buy several books at the fair.

After buying two bags full of books (both Pinky and I have a problem that prevents us from not buying books whenever we have the change), we headed up to the top deck, which had a tarp stretched overhead to protect us from the rain. The ship runs a small cafe, and we ordered coffee and sat down to enjoy the cool river breeze.

That evening, we headed back home with our new books. It had been a really cool experience to visit the Doulos Hope, and I was glad to help support their good works.