Thread: MV doulos, in Klon thoey - RAMA 4 - The Floating Library

MV Doulos is in town, a few days allready !

The biggest floating library is in Bangkok, came in end of July and more shoudl be found here:

Doulos - Bringing Knowledge, Help and Hope - Home

GBA Ships e.v.

Doulos was purchased in 1977 by GBA Ships e.V. (previously known as Good Books for All), a private, non-profit, charitable organisation registered in Germany.
Over 20 million visitors have been welcomed on board for tours, programmes and visits to the floating book fair. With stops in over 500 ports of call, this unique ship has visited more than 100 countries in including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and many island nations.
Doulos is recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.

Schedule - Current Port Friday, 29 June 2007 Port information for visit to Bangkok, Thailand

arrival date: 2009-7-29 00:00 departure date: 2009-8-24 00:00 opening date: 2009-7-30 closing date: 2009-8-23 opening hours:

So, this sounded good enough to make a day out for the family....



We got up the Borom elevated and drove the 17km strech leading to Khao San Road area...



Crossing the Chao Praya and entering town to be stuck in traafic as it is Mother's Day over here...



Plenty of blue shirt people around Kaho San Area, traffic totally stuck !



The river way seems to be easier, option taken as we have to head to Klong Thoey, way down the Chao Praya, here a view from the pier near Khao San Road...

Linux and the Teakdoor gallery seem to have some incompatibility issues.

Never seen some instruction for us, user of legal softs with a clinch...

So, if one cares to upload this pics from the gallery to the thread i will then bring you inside the motor room of the MV Doulos eventually...

Khao San is a bit westich side of Bangkok and the harbour is probably south south east, quite a journey across town to reach the place...

The Boat bus charged us 18 thb per adult and free for the 2 kids, nice and cheap, the speech men on board is almost not to be understood, the only thing audible was if you wanna leave the boat at this pier, go to the back of the boat and leave it, this while we cruise the river. Nobody jumped after repeating proposals....










Some view of the Chao Praya...

The Peninsula Hotel and his Cross River Jonk...

Nearing end station, CENTRAL, then a taxi for the last 15 km or so to reach the Harbour....


MS DOULOS, there Glorious waiting to be boarded for the very modest sum of 10 thb per visitor,and kids probably were welcomed aboard for free !

This ship was built 2 years after the Titanic, 1914. It is actually the oldest cruiser of this size to still navigate.
The steel panel are all riveted, no welding on the full hull exept the front part facing the waves were once welded...



The boat was initially a cargo ship, at the first stage it was a steam engine ship, unfortunately i messed up that shot and here is the second stage of life of that boat



After carrying cargo for a while it was taken by the US navy and served as coast guard around the US during the war period, the second war me think...


it was then later on modified and transformed to be a passenger Cruiser liner, the actual engine is the third that was placed inside and today account a few decennies of good labour

The public area is a bit restricted and the main part is the library were good deals await the reader, tax free books and received by special deals, excellent bargain for quality books, we purchased plenty, specially kids stories, image and stuff to put them asleep...



This is located on the back of the vessel and that area was previously the swimming pool in the time of passenger ship...





There is another library shop in the front of the vessel, and no there are no beers to be downed while the wife explores and shops...Ice Creams, coke and sprite, coffee if the machine is in a good mood, but no alcohol on board.

Some view from the deck here...



The deck view, back leading toward front of ship



The chimney connected to the turbo props and the radar... This is pretty much what you will be able to see and explore about this vessel...

There is a crew of 350 on board at all time almost, each has some assigned duty. The origins of the staff are form about 50 countries. Meet one from your nationality and eventually they migth invite you for the special inside tour...



This is a view from the section reserved to the staff with family, sligthly larger room, back of the ship.

Most member will sign in for a 2 year duty. There is no pay, in contrary you have to raise fund, of different amount depending what rich or poor place you come from... Yes relatives, and associations are asked to sponsor each participant. Some very small pocket money is given out to each crew only, but the duties are plenty, 1 day off per week or not even, and 14 days off for the 2 year period !



Some few month ago, the 21 million visitor was greeted aboard.

The vessel moves for roughly a week on sea and will be at dock for a month, harbor after harbor. Each Place many activities take place, sports events are organized with the teams of the area, doctors might go out and help the needing, dwell might be drilled and the voice of the lord will be spread, as the crew is into christianism...



The laundry room can be used on one day basis per crew



The bakery and the galley. Over 1000 meals are prepared here every day to feed the crew of 350, 3 times a day... The food is cheap and very diverse, chicken and rice today, tomorrow will be rice and chicken...start over the following day...

Meet Lylian, ti's the cousin of the famous Wilson working for fedex...



Lylian is thrown overboard at least every 2 weeks without any warning. Some one must spot it and shout MEN OVERBOARD, the vessel will then activate a circling cycle that will be over 400 meter of diameter, Lylian has to be RESCUED. Not easy at all, quite a few cousins of Lylian were lost over the past years...

The main fire station, 1 out of 6 on board. Many crews are trained for fire fighting, agin this is performed every few weeks, with casualties to make it more real and some smoke in few places...



Inside the engine room we are greated by some Indian fellow... It is cheaper to run the generators to produce the own electricity, compared to getting it from the Bangkok city...

To fill the tanks, approxiamtely 500 K euros are necessary.

Those are cylinders, they have a few centuries of age allready, third motor placed in the ship...

That boat navigates for 95 years now !



A few psitons here, the size is approx, 80 cm in heigth and 50 cm in diameter, next to those, a connecting rod...



The compressors to produce the AC for the sleeping rooms and some areas of the boat. The engine room being old is not Ac and 32 C is a harbor room temperature, and over 50 C once the 12 knots navigation are activated...

The turbo props, they are connected to the big chimney on top of the boat outside...



the captain ( a Dutch fellow actually) has no control what so ever for the motor. Steering is the only control given to him in some upper desk. Speed forward f backward is controlled from this place...



This is Highway 1 as they call it. On this main front to back artery, you should remain at all time on the right side if you go slow. This to allow any other crew to go his way, and if requested by running ...



The cantine is found under the deck in the forward area of the boat, was end on dinner...



Over 50 nationalities eat here...



A view into the galley, previously a shot was taken from the other side, the bakery, here cleaning duty in action...

Going to the back of the boat...



The river seen for the under deck



A good day out, nice fellows...

More can be seen on their website, even rotating view images and some history of the 95 years of the oldest cruising ship still navigating...

Doulos - Bringing Knowledge, Help and Hope - Home

bye bye, we had a fun day out...



Sorry if the pics do not show, they can be found in my gallery, under different things...

the MV Doulos will move to Malysia on the 23 of august...

Monday the 17.08.09, one of the Thailand Princess will visit the vessel, probably some restrictions will be applied that day...

Thanks to the guy who converted the pictures to show !

probably a LINUX way of picture input for DUMMY is necessary on some new thread, i do not actually want to place the pics on another picture website and transfer, ala photobucket, teakdoor direct way would be great...


And go see the Doulos, your kids will enjoy being on board the vessel...

the MV Doulos will move to Malysia on the 23 of august...

saw her in Labuan , sign at the foot of the gangway indicated no Muslims may go aboard .

Excellent thread

Good stuff. I'm envious of the cheap books you got, i ordered some from Amazon a while back and the shipping cost as much as the books did.