By LEAH KOHLENBERG

hese days you can golf almost anywhere in the world--but only in Asia can you chip around a Hindu temple or drive onto a fairway railroad track. Asians are nuts about the sport, particularly as a means for business networking, and the semi-tropical climates are ideal for year-round play. (Even North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il is a convert. According to official propaganda, he shot a 38-under-par 34 at Pyongyang Golf Club, shaving 25 strokes off the single-round world record set in 1977 by U.S. pro Al Geiberger. Kim nailed five holes-in-one.) Now that the economic crisis is driving down membership and greens fees, it's a great time to pick up the hobby. And Asia has a few unusual courses that the true aficionado can brag about for years about having played--and survived. Among them:

If you're willing to live with a little danger, check out the Monu Valley Golf Club in northern Bangladesh, set amid the sedate paddies, banyan trees and rubber groves of the Shumshernugger Tea Estate. From time to time, Bengal tigers have been sighted stalking across the fairways, though no golfers have been lost in the course's more-than 100-year history. Green fees $1.

Want something less extreme? Surely the most orderly course in Asia is the nine-hole Aranda, part of Singapore's Orchid Country Club. The 4th hole, a par 4, has its own traffic light. The drive from the 4th tee is blind--you can't see over the brow of a hill--so golfers have to wait for a green light before teeing off. Play as a guest for $90 weekdays or weekends.

In Thailand, the Soi Dao Highlands course, 30 km north of Chanthaburi on the border with Cambodia, is a protected area that teems with wild boar, elephants and barking deer. Villagers fish in the streams and lakes that surround the course and forage for food in the virginal forest surrounding the area. Weekdays $14, weekends $26.

At Sri Lanka's Royal Colombo Golf Club, founded in 1879, the intrusion comes not so much from people as from passing trains. Four holes are traversed by the Kelani Valley steam railroad; golfers are advised to give way. A free drop is permitted if your drive lands on the tracks. Weekdays $27, weekends $38.

One of the most attractive courses is Jakarta's Imperial Golf Klub, designed by Desmond Muirhead. The 18-hole championship course was built to blend Indonesian symbols--the Krakatoa volcano, the Borobodur temple--with local sculptural effects. Rates depend on time of day but start at $11 weekdays, $33 weekends and public holidays.

Want to go up-market, in altitude, that is? The world's highest course, the Government Golf Course Gulmarg in Kashmir, opened in 1904 and is 3,730 m above sea level. The area is known as the meadow of flowers and sits in a saucer-shaped valley you can ski down in the winter months. The thin air can mean shortness of breath, though drives tend to carry. $2 weekdays and weekends.

Somewhat below that but no less distinct is the Royal Bhutan Golf Club at Thimphu, the capital. The nine-hole course, backdropped by the Himalayas and overlooking the Wang Chu river, is 2,316 m above sea level. Maps of individual holes are carved in slate on the tees, and the course includes several chortens--small stone structures with religious artifacts inside that are receptacles for offerings. Players who are struggling with their games can always consider a donation. Weekdays and weekends $25-$30.

Devotees of feng shui, the Asian principle of balancing nature's elements, will appreciate Nichigo Resort, a former sugar-cane plantation set along the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Built in 1992, the course is split into three nine-hole adventures named Land, Water and Mountains. Awash with ponds and lakes, Nichigo has the feel of a vast Japanese garden. It also has history: Thai armies fought Burmese invaders here 200 years ago. Weekdays $15, weekends $30.

For a liquid challenge, try the Bangkok Golf Club, which has a water hazard on every hole. Rates depend on time of day but start from $26 weekdays, $78 weekends. Or the Lotus Hill Golf Club in China's Guangdong province. Set on a tributary of the Pearl River, the penultimate hole is a 148-yard, par 3 that demands a drive over a lake toward a green that sits between the water and a 40-m rock escarpment. It's one of the most photographed holes in Asia.

Another challenge is the Mangilao Golf Club in Guam. Mangilao means "to search for," and this ravine-ridden course ensures that duffers will spend a great deal of their time searching for errant balls. Its picturesque holes face the Pacific Ocean. On the 12th, a par 3, the tee and the green are separated by 100 m of ocean. You can get more information from the club's Website, at www.mangilao golf.com. No challenge is more extreme than one soldier-golfers face at Camp Bonifas on the North-South Korean border in Panmunjom. The "course"--a single 192-yard, par 3 hole--is ringed by minefields, one of which is active. Tours go from Seoul, but civilian duffers aren't allowed near the course; an errant drive could start a war.

Is there any place golf-course developers won't pursue? Perhaps not. Japanese builders, no doubt inspired by U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard's 1971 lunar chip shot, have long been considering the moon's golfing potential. Developers have actually drawn up plans to build lunar resorts replete with tennis courts and a golf course--provided they can tame the moon's killer gamma rays. Now there's a hazard the Royal and Ancients set no rules for.

--Reported by Stephen Short/Hong Kong

ADDED VALUE

For travelers, the Internet often is indispensable. But hotel business-center online charges--including computer rental--can add up (see chart). It's cheaper to lug a laptop (sans hardware, Hong Kong's Conrad Hotel charges $10 per day for a connection). Users normally have to connect long-distance to access their servers. But some hotels offer a cheap local hookup: the Shilla Seoul charges $4 hourly with your own computer and Hong Kong's Kowloon Shangri La sets up a temporary account for $13 a day.

Hotels' business-center online connection fees, including computer rental, in three selected cities

HONG KONG

J.W. Marriott $26
Grand Hyatt $26
Island Shangri La $32
Conrad $62

BANGKOK

Marriott Royal Garden Riverside $13
Grand Hyatt Erawan $16
Shangri La Bangkok $10
Dusit Thani $10

SEOUL

Marriott Renaissance Seoul $32.50
Grand Hyatt $33
Westin Chosun $8.50
Shilla Seoul $39

HOT TIP

It's jokingly called "economy class syndrome," but the consequences aren't funny. Sitting for long periods in cramped airline seats can slow circulation dramatically. In some cases, that results in blood clots, which can be fatal. Symptoms include chest and muscle pain and shortness of breath. Travelers taking birth control or sleeping pills are particularly susceptible, as are the elderly and those with a family history of clotting. Here are some ways to avoid such trouble:

--Take aspirin, which is an anticoagulant, right before flying. --Drink lots of water and other fluids, and avoid alcohol and smoking, which can cause dehydration. --Move regularly to improve circulation. Get up every hour or so and walk around the plane, rotate your ankles and flex your knees. --If you are relatively short, use a bag or pillow as a footrest to stop your seat from cutting into your legs. If you are tall, request a seat with extra legroom, such as one next to an emergency exit.

WEB CR@WLING

TRAVELASIA DAILY (www.travel-asia.com/dailies)

DAILY BULLETINS Travel news breaks every day, but with such a wide variety of sources it's hard to keep track of the latest developments. This Website can help--by linking readers to daily-updated travel articles from wire services, newspapers and other publications about Asian countries and the airline, hotel, cruise and other travel-related industries. Both "hard" news and features are available, from a Reuters piece on recent smog sightings to a colorful description of India's Holi festival in the Indian Express.

SPECIALTY TRAVEL INDEX (www.spectrav.com)

TOURS DE FORCE Do you hanker to ride camels in Pakistan, go ballooning over Japan or plumb the depths of caves in Borneo, but lack the time or the know-how to plan anything so grand? If so, this site is for you. Tours and travel agents are listed both by subject (from Anthropology to Zoology) and region. An added bonus is an "editorial features" section, providing travel stories that--while not always eloquently written--are informative.

SHORT CUTS

COOKIE MONSTERS
Asian travelers visiting Amsterdam should keep in mind the old adage: never take food from a stranger. Two men were recently arrested and charged with using spiked cookies to drug tourists and then pilfer their wallets. The perpetrators reportedly preyed mainly on travelers from Taiwan and Japan. When the pair were finally apprehended, police uncovered $8,700 in cash and about 20 cookies.

TAX HIKE
As of April 1, Thailand has doubled the airport tax on international flights to 500 baht, or about $13.

POLISHING SERVICE
Tokyo's Royal Park Hotel has a new marketing scheme: services designed exclusively for female business travelers. A special "woman travelers' desk" provides not only information about places in Tokyo for women to find meals and entertainment--but can also "lend a sympathetic ear." Rooms for women include a seasonal flower, cosmetics, nail polish remover and extra diet soft drinks in the mini-bar.

DETOURS

In Ichon, an hour's drive from Seoul, visitors can view some of Korea's finest treasures: celadon from the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) and white porcelain from the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910). A quiet rural city in Kyonggi province, Ichon is home to several "villages" where ceramic artisans still tend kilns. Their pottery is available for sale, and bargaining is recommended. To get to Ichon, take a public bus from Seoul's Kangnam bus terminal, which costs about $10. At Ichon station, take a local bus to any one of three destinations: Sookang-ri, Huam-ri or Namjung-ri. After the pottery tour, travelers wanting a soothing detour can head to Ichon Hot Spring Plaza, best reached by taxi from the Ichon terminal.