Airlines Air India, Rm 3008-9, The Centre, 99 Queen's Road, Central (tel 2522 1176); British Airways, 30th Floor, Alexandra House, 25 Chater Rd, Central (tel 2868 0303); Cathay Pacific, 35/F, Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2747 1888); Dragonair, Rm 601-3 Wheelock House, 20 Pedder St, Central (tel 2590 1188); JAL, 20th Floor, Gloucester Tower, Pedder St, Central (t
American Express , Ground Floor, New World Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road, Central (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-noon; tel 2801 7300; report stolen cheques on tel 2885 9331).
Banks and exchange Banks generally open Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat 9am-12.30pm, though there is quite a hefty commission on travellers' cheques in many banks; among those who generally don't charge commission are the Hang Seng, Wing Lung Bank and the Wing On.
Bookshops For such a cosmopolitan city, Hong Kong has a rather poor selection of decent foreign-language bookshops.
Cinema Most of the main English-language films find their way to Hong Kong soon after release, and they are usually shown in the original language, sometimes with Chinese subtitles (although the local audience prefers dubbed versions, which usually hit the screen soon afterwards).
Embassies and consulates Australia, 23rd Floor, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2827 8881); Britain, 1 Supreme Court Rd, Admiralty (tel 2901 3000); Canada, 14th Floor, 1 Exchange Square, Central (tel 2810 4321); China, 5th Floor, China Resources Bldg, Lower Block, 26 Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2827 1881); India, 504 Admiralty Centre, Tower One, 18 Harcourt Rd, Admiralty
Festivals Festivals specific to Hong Kong include the Tin Hau Festival, in late April or May, in honour of the Goddess of Fishermen. Large seaborne festivities take place, most notably at Joss House Bay on Sai Kung Peninsula. Another is the Tai Chiu Festival (known in English as the Bun Festival) held on Cheung Chau Island during May.
Hospitals Government hospitals have 24-hour casualty wards, where treatment is free. These include the Princess Margaret Hospital, Lai King Hill Rd, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon (tel 2990 1111) and the Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Rd, Hong Kong Island (tel 2855 3111). For an ambulance dial tel 999.
Laundry There is a cheap laundry service on the ground floor of the Golden Crown Court on Nathan Rd (one block north of the Mirador Mansions) - use the red entrance; you'll see a sign at the end of the corridor. Same-day service for three kilos of clothes costs $30. Mirador Mansions, 13th Floor, has a similar place called Posh Wash.
Left luggage There's an office in the departure lounge at the airport (daily 6.30am-1am), and at the Central and Kowloon stations for the Airport Express. Alternatively you can usually leave luggage at your guest house or hotel - but ensure you're happy with the owners and general security before leaving anything valuable.