Hi, everyone! Glad to be on board. Why have I not known about this amazing community until now?

My name is George and I am a travelholic. This community is a godsend -- a way to hold me over until the next fix! I am also a writer (novelist and TV), but it took a long time to get there, and travel had EVERYTHING to do with it.

My travel addiction started in college, while I was doing a year studying abroad at University of Heidelberg, Germany. While my friends were all doing the European hostel route, I took off for Morocco. Fez blew my mind. As did the Sahara. Since then, I was hooked, and I kept traveling to remote places, each trip a little longer, pissing off my bosses and disappointing my parents ("why are you so 'at sea,' son"). Finally, for a period of years, financial considerations and the chains of my deeply-rooted upbringing caused me to repress my desire for the raw experience of travel, and I buckled down to pursue a "normal" career.

But the bug kept rearing it's ugly, exotic head, and a trip to Papua New Guinea (rationalized as a honeymoon) caused a compete relapse. Like some people wager their life on gambling or drugs, I did the same thing with travel. I had been a lawyer for big firms in both NY and LA, and I was making good money. My wife was too. But we both felt so completely empty with the grind and the work. Finally, on a drastic impulse denounced as insane by our relatives and colleagues, we said the hell with it all. We quit our lucrative and stable careers, sold all our belongings, surrendered our lease, and like Hindu Saddhus, strapped on backpacks, literally buying one way tickets to China.

Two years later, we returned in utter culture shock, having traipsed all over Asia and parts of the Middle East. We were broke. Scared ("now what do we do?"). And with even less desire now to resume practicing law. But I did have the first draft of a manuscript for a novel in my hands (which I wrote in a bungalow on the Island of Lombok). It wasn't easy (I doubt it is for anyone -- read Stephen King "On Writing"), but with several years of persistence and re-writing, I finally got it in the right agent's hands. It sold.

The book was inspired by my time backpacking through the Karakorams and Himalayas of Northern Pakistan and India, which is a region I have fallen in love with and gone to more than once. I am a much happier person now in my new path, and in a big way, I have travel to thank for it. (Halleluja to that!)

The book (published January 6th) is called Fidali's Way, and I have a website by the same name with some travel photos of India and Pakistan:

http://www.fidalisway.com

Please do check it out, and if you're so inclined, drop a note on the guestbook. I'd love to have some kindred spirits drop in and say hello.

I've traveled many other places besides India and Pakistan, and I look forward to chatting with fellow vagabonds about them. And about my other, related passion -- writing. I see that there are a lot of travel writers on board, so please drop me a reply! I will be glad to share my experience regarding the publishing world -- pitfalls and all -- if any of you are interested. And if you a writer who hasn't been published yet, keep the faith and never give up. I know it's cliche, but it's true. Happy New Year!

George Mastras
http://www.fidalisway.com

Congrats on the book! I'd love to be a travel writer, but I'm not that good, at least not yet anyway! lol. I just blog...

Your site looks cool. Welcome to the boards

Thanks, Travel Addict!

Judging by your site, Travel Addict -- which is really great -- you got the words to do whatever travel writing you want. People say write what you know. Well, there are a lot of writers out there who aren't "travelers" -- i.e., they don't experience what they're writing. They just make it up. It never feels quite genuine. A "traveler" who writes, well, that's a different animal altogether. The experience comes through, and the language is secondary.

Thanks for the welcome!

George
http://www.fidalisway.com/

Welcome aboard. I'm not quite as bold as you to just drop everything and go for the adventure, now have 4 kids, most grown, one still in 7th grade, do some adventure traveling in fairly remote areas and trying to get into the writing gig, so would be interested in some guidance down the road on that subject. I did a little book on my trip to Choquequirao with my 3 oldest girls, mostly pictures and as a memento thing, but also has a narrative of the trip, but it's a Blurb book and too expensive and too hard core an area for most travelers, so didn't do it as a money earner.

Thanks for the welcome, charlieb!

I hear you, loud and clear. I have 2 kids now (didn't when I made the big step), so the traveling has become much more challenging. A friend of mine tells me to relax, just think of the kids as a backpack. I haven't gotten around to that mindset. I've jumped out of planes and dangled on ropes at 18,000 feet, but I freak out when my little girls walk beside me in a parking lot without holding my hand. Go figure! They're really young (in my book, anyway -- 2 and 5) so we've been sticking to easy destinations -- Thailand is the next one on the agenda. So, I am amazingly IMPRESSED by your trip to Choquequirao with 3 kids! How old are your girls? Was it smooth or a nightmare?

As far as getting into the writing gig, I got a lot to say about that, some of which (pertaining to that elusive goal of getting an agent) I just posted in response to one of the threads in the travel writing section: http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/97909575...00942516#34300942516

I see that you're up in Seattle. My brother lives outside Tacoma. Are you a mountaineer or trekker by any chance? I really like it up there. Lots to do out of doors.

Keep writing!

Hey mobilescribe

I picked up your book on Amazon while searching for travel books and within 3 days of receiving it, I finished! I am asking myself when is your next book coming out?....

Wow, it was a real page turner, the writing was fantastic and great description of the regional culture and gripping dramatic scenes. Most importantly, not only was it entertaining but I feel like I have a better understanding in human terms of the conflict going on in South Asia (Mumbai attack, Kashmir conflict, War on Terror).

To all my fellow backpackers, this is a definite read. check out the amazon reviews Amazon link

Adventurageous,

Welcome back. How did you travel cafe idea pan out?

-Slip

Hey, thanks, Adventurageous! I truly appreciate the support, not only that you bought the book, but that you enjoyed it so. It makes all the years of hard work worthwhile, to actually hear firsthand that you affected a reader by your words. Wow, this is really great to hear. The book's been doing extremely well judging from what I hear from my publisher, and the feedback I'm getting from customer reviews on Amazon. But, really, it's all in a total vacuum, until you hear it from someone who's actually read the book. Thanks so much.

Have you traveled in that part of the world? The mountains of Northern Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir are truly one of the most inspiring places to which I have ever been.

And what's this about a travel cafe? Are you a cafe owner?

quote:

Originally posted by Slip:
Adventurageous,

Welcome back. How did you travel cafe idea pan out?

-Slip

Thanks Slip for asking about the cafe. Glad to hear that you remembered about my rush to do the cafe. unfortunately, the idea did not pan out, for all that I wanted to encompass in the cafe to inspired all the travelers, it would have been simply too expensive. I guess I tried to bite off more than practical. But the cafe was like my dream. Coffee, bear, and wine with a story where they come from. Regular speakers of of course travel writer reading. Hey, George, you know if I did have a cafe would have invited you to read part of the book and talk about your experiences going through Asia.

quote:

Originally posted by mobilescribe:
Hey, thanks, Adventurageous! I truly appreciate the support, not only that you bought the book, but that you enjoyed it so. It makes all the years of hard work worthwhile, to actually hear firsthand that you affected a reader by your words. Wow, this is really great to hear. The book's been doing extremely well judging from what I hear from my publisher, and the feedback I'm getting from customer reviews on Amazon. But, really, it's all in a total vacuum, until you hear it from someone who's actually read the book. Thanks so much.

Have you traveled in that part of the world? The mountains of Northern Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir are truly one of the most inspiring places to which I have ever been.

And what's this about a travel cafe? Are you a cafe owner?

George Mastras

George, based my read of the book, You should start working on your next book, as I am sure this is going to fly off the shelves!!

Yeah, I been to India and Pakistan, you did an awesome job of describing such a vivid culture. Highly recommend traveler to visit the region, a lifetime experience!!!!

Thanks again Adventurageous!

Travel cafe sounds like a great idea. Too bad it didn't pan out. I am interested in knowing where you went in Northern India/Pakistan.... Did you happen to travel the Karakoram Highway from or into China? Or get to Skardu and do the trek up the Concordia Glacier to K2 base camp? Most people don't realize that the Pakistan-controlled regions of Kashmir (e.g., Baltistan, Hunza, etc.) are the most glaciated regions outside the polar ice caps. The Snow Lake trek puts you on a massive glacier for a week of walking. Incredible.