f you're already missing the excitement of the World Cup, there will be plenty of opportunities later this year to cheer from the stands during two major Asian sports events: the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

From Sept. 11-21, Malaysia will host the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The event is expected to attract 6,000 athletes and officials from all 69 countries of the British Commonwealth, along with an estimated 50,000 fans from around the world. (They'll get to use the city's new international airport, along with a light-rail system to journey to the main sports complex in Bukit Jalil.) Fifteen sports will be featured at 23 venues throughout Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, including cricket, rugby, boxing, gymnastics, hockey, swimming and weightlifting.

The official Games website at www.kl98.com.my offers a complete schedule of events, with details on the sports, athletes and rules. Tickets range from $1.20 to $35 depending on seating, and may be purchased by telephone at 603-445-4455 or online at www.ticketex press.com.my. Ticket sales have been slower than anticipated, due partly to the Asian financial crisis and concerns (unfounded, say organizers) about the haze that has plagued the region. So watch for last-minute specials to entice visitors to take their holidays at "KL '98." Malaysia Airlines is offering an $830-a-person Premiere Package that includes first-class flights, four nights at a five-star hotel, two tickets to any event, prime seats at the opening and closing ceremonies, side-trips to tourist attractions--plus an electronic Swatch watch enabling swipe access to events. Groups of eight or more can book the airline's Supporters Package to see a variety of events. All packages include a discount card for savings of up to 60% at stores and restaurants. Details are available from Malaysia Airlines ticket agents, or online at www.malaysiaairlines.com.my.

If that's not enough sports action for you, then head for the Asian Games in Thailand Dec. 6-20. Billing the event as the "Asian Olympics," organizers expect up to half a million spectators to watch some 7,000 athletes from 43 countries compete in 36 sports including football, volleyball, baseball and basketball, as well as the Asian sports of sepak takraw (think volleyball with no hands) and kabbadi (a sometimes brutal form of tag-team wrestling). Information about all the events is available online at www.asiangames.th.

Overseas ticket sale information is available through Tourism Authority of Thailand offices. Prices range from $1 for a preliminary round of men's football to $20 for a boxing finals match. Hotel bookings can be made through the Check-In '98 telephone hotline at 662-718-4746. Thai Airways, the official carrier (and caterer) for the Games has deals on flights--like the bargain $179 domestic fares aimed at encouraging visitors to attend events being held outside the main venues in Bangkok.

In a region that has suffered a year's worth of depressing economic news, the games should at last give residents something to cheer about.

--By Shirley Brady

HOT TIP

Shanghai's building boom has helped create a wide range of new hotels in the business district of Pudong, giving rival inns across the river a run for their money. The Pudong Shangri-La plans to offer 40% discounts from its opening on Aug. 27 through the end of the year. (Deluxe rooms will go for $138 a night.) The Holiday Inn Pudong, which opened this past February, is halving its weekend rates and reducing mid-week rooms by 40% until the end of July. It is also appealing to business travelers by offering in-room fax and Internet connections along with satellite television. The most impressive newcomer is the Grand Hyatt, scheduled to open later this year. Located on the top 33 floors of the 88-story Jin Mao Tower, the hotel will be the tallest in the world, Hyatt claims.

WEB CR@WLING

ALTHORP
(www.althorp.com)

DIANA MUSEUM This tasteful website has been established by the Spencer family as a guide to their ancestral home in Northamptonshire, England, where Princess Diana lies buried on an island. The estate is open to the public by invitation only, so prospective visitors who wish to pay their respects and tour the grounds where she played as a child can find directions and application information on the Internet. Or you can avoid the crowds and peruse the site's photographs and historical information on your own.

THE GETTY CENTER
(www.getty.edu)

ARTFUL DODGER With a four-month waiting list for a parking spot, your best chance to see this hotter-than-Hades new art museum in Los Angeles may be online. It won't match the thrill of exploring architect Richard Meier's modernist buildings in person, but at least you can count on an unhurried, up-close view of Van Gogh's Irises and other cultural treats from the private collections of billionaire J. Paul Getty.

SHORT CUTS

EYE SITE The Hong Kong government is taking bids for the former Tamar naval base, the scene of many of last year's rain-drenched handover ceremonies. Among the options for the vacant two-hectare site: a Disney mini-theme park, a return visit by the Cirque du Soleil troupe and various millennium-related celebrations. A Canto-pop "Stars Spectacular" concert will be held Aug. 23.

VIET WOES The Vietnam Tourism Administration is blaming Asia's financial slump for a 15% drop in foreign arrivals during the first half of this year. Hanoi hopes to reignite interest by designating 2000 as "Visit Vietnam Year."

REALITY BITES Based on its belief that travelers are seeking more "meaningful and outward-looking" visits, California-based tour operator Global Exchange is arranging trips that allow tourists to meet locals living in strife-torn areas. "Reality Tours" for 1998 include visits with Sinn Fein and Unionist officials in Ireland, artists, musicians and farmers in Cuba and Los Angeles prison inmates.

DETOURS

Tokyo offers great food--and a fascinating culinary tour. The action starts at Tsukiji, Japan's largest fish market, with the 5 a.m. tuna auction. After taking in the operatics, hit Sushidai for breakfast a la carte. Then head to Kappabashi Dori, home of the plastic food, or sampuru, displayed in Japanese restaurant windows the world over (a fake piece of sushi will set you back $45). Don't miss the Ramen Museum, five minutes from the Shin-Yokohama subway, for a memo-rable lunch at this shrine to instant noodles (open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily except Tuesdays; admission is $2). More quirky local eateries can be found online at www.twics.com/~robbs.