You’ve got mail!

The swine flu grounded me for a few days. I got out of house arrest just the other day. It’s such a pleasant feeling to breathe Doha’s fresh air (at least at five in the morning) again…

One of my favourite nieces sent me a packet from Istanbul. It reached Doha the other day. The people at the post office called to ask me if they should deliver it to my home. I refused for two reasons. Firstly, I had not been inside the Head Post Office for quite some time. I felt a bit nostalgic (the building has remained practically the same ever since I began to see it). Secondly, I had had enough of sitting on my old bottom at home. So I politely refused and said I would go and collect it myself.

So my trusty driver friend, who has been a part of most of my adventures in Doha, took the car and off we went. I once again felt like a little child, being taken out for her first picnic to the Dukhan beach.

We ascended through three (or was it four) levels of parking spaces until we reached the very top. I almost felt like being inside an Indiana Jones movie. I was accessing different levels of a mountain, climbing, climbing, climbing, trying to reach the pyramid-shaped building at the top which held so many dark secrets...

I should say the post office has lost none of its old world charm. It still is an imposing structure, one of the most distinguishable in the country (the other being the Doha Sheraton). The place was immaculately clean. I loved that fact about them. I could see cleaning men move among the relaxed crowd, trying to keep the place in shape. They’re doing quite a good job too.

There were signboards referring to the Doha Asian Games. And I can fully understand the sentiment Qataris have towards these signs. After all, it was one of the biggest and proudest moments in Qatar’s entire existence.

I proceeded to the counter which I’d been instructed to go to. A young, warmly smiling Qatari girl asked me for some details regarding the packet. I gave it to her and she asked me wait. From the signboard behind the seating area, I understood they were offering free internet. Unfortunately, none of the six terminals were working. Its restoration is one thing which the officials immediately need to work on.

I walked around and once again saw the familiar sight of rows upon rows of post boxes. Little boxes which once opened displayed cavernous cavities inside. I was told that it had a hi-tech card-based box system. Sure enough, I could see several people swiping cards to open their boxes. Tradition seamlessly blending with modernity, I was very impressed.

I enquired if I could open a post box there, but was informed that they were severely short and had been overbooked by at least a year. So I moved to specialised section for coins and stamps. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures. It’s a paradise for coin and stamp collecting enthusiasts.

Next time you’re on the Cocrniche and has a little time to kill, do drop in into the post office. If you don’t like the building, you will definitely like the interiors. If you don’t like both, then you’ll fall in love with the view of Doha from up there.

Go on, explore the Qatar Post Office… be enchanted!