My challenge for today was to post two birthday cards at the post office. Which normally would not seem to be much of a challenge, but for me, everything is a challenge when it is for the first time in Doha. It would be easy just to get a cab, but that is much too simple, and being a good Canadian girl, used to hiking in the mountains - how hard could this be? So I set off to walk there via the Corniche, the walk along the sea front. This is one of the buildings I passed on my way from my building to get to the road I need to cross to get to the Corniche.

This is one of the flowers I passed by in the gardens along the corniche. Although Doha gets really hot, the grass and gardens along the Corniche are well kept and are always green and tranquil.

This is the imposing post office building. The tube like structures on the front and there are actually more a little to the right, which I did not capture are supposed to remind you of earlier days when mail was delivered by carrier pigeons. It makes for a very attractive building close-up. Like most places here, it is not easy to walk to. I went across at the cross walk, but on the other side, it is all dug up for construction. Fortunately, some of the constructions workers directed me around the pipes and how to get around the ditch! and I eventually got to the building. There I had a bit of trouble finding the way to go and after a false start where someone unlocked the door to the actual mail room and locked me in again - I realized I had not communicated correctly and someone else showed me the way upstairs to the main part of the post office with a whole wall full of wickets. After the initial wait in the wrong line, (like I said, I never seem to do things the easy way) I finally got to the right woman who gave me some very colourful stamps for a total of 7 riyals which hopefully will get my cards to Canada.

This is the crosswalk sign that you need to find to make sure you can get across the streets. You push the button and it usually changes right away enabling you to cross, much quicker than at home. A lot of people dont bother with this and they seem to weave in and out between the cars, which is a hazzard for both drivers and pedestrians, but it seems the custom here. As far as I am concerned, the crosswalks work for me. I can see that it wont be long before I change to taking taxis as by the time I got home I was soaking wet with perspiration and this is still a cool month!