Mail in Hong Kong

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Mail

Hong Kong's postal system is excellent. Airmail letters to any place in the world should take three to eight days. The Kowloon Central Post Office and the General Post Office in Central are open 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Saturday.

Letters sent from Hong Kong are thought of as going to one of two zones. Zone 1 includes China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Asia. Zone 2 is everywhere else. International airmail costs HK$2.40 or HK$3 for a letter or postcard weighing less than 20 grams mailed to a Zone 1 or 2 address, respectively. To send a letter within Hong Kong, the cost is HK$1.40. The post office also has an overnight express service called Speedpost.

Main Postal Branches

General Post Office (2 Connaught Rd., Central. 2921-2222. www.hongkongpost.com). Kowloon Central Post Office (10 Middle Rd., Tsim Tsa Shui).

Shipping Packages

Packages sent airmail to the United States often take two weeks. Airmail shipments to the United Kingdom -- both packages and letters -- arrive within three or five days, while mail to Australia often arrives in as little as three days.

You are probably best off shipping your own parcels instead of letting shop owners do this for you, both to save money and to ensure that you are actually shipping yourself what you purchased and not a quick substitute -- though most shop owners are honest and won't try to cheat you in this way. The workers at Hong Kong Post are extremely friendly and they will sell you all the packaging equipment you need, at unbelievably reasonable prices. Large international couriers in Hong Kong include DHL, Federal Express, and UPS.

Express Services

DHL (2400-3388. www.dhl.com.hk). Federal Express (2730-3333. www.fedex.com/hk_english). UPS (2735-3535. www.ups.com).