Etched In Adventure

"You Don't Have To Be Rich To Travel Well"

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Exiting Japan: Tokyo

August 4, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Tokyo was my last stop for my Japan trip and I had some reservations about going. I was growing tired of big cities, debating an over-packed itinerary, and was worried about being overwhelmed by a city even bigger than my old home of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. So, I just stuck with my instincts: check out a neighborhood a day at a time, relax at night, and just ride the wave. It was also the first time I decided to […]

Categories: Asia, Backpacking, Itineraries, Itinerary, Japan, Museum, Museums, Tokyo, Travel, Travel Tips, Travel Writing • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Ginza, Japan, Taiwan, Tokyo, Travel Writing

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Empty

August 3, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Empty 2006 The first time she’ll just keep stringing you along your freshman year. She knows you’re just a puppy dog who follows her like a shadow. She’ll put you in the friend-zone and you’ll lose the respect of all your friends and peers. After a year of mindless wandering you’ll start to burrow in anger, self-loathing, and loneliness. A couple of years will pass and she’ll start dating the guy who made your life a living hell in high […]

Categories: Creative Writing, Nonfiction, Poetry, Writer, Writing • Tags: Creative Writing, Memoir, Nonfiction, Personal Essay, Poetry, Prose, Writer, Writing

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My Kyoto Bucket List

July 21, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Visited Japan for the first time in June where my second and third stop was Kyoto and Uji and I have to admit I loved them dearly because of the perfect blend of nature with city life. Here are some of my favorite photography spots for the photogenic souls. Maruyama Park:Kiyomizu-dera: Okochi Sanso: Mount Arashi and the Oi River: Fushimi Inari-taisha:Iwatayama Monkey Park: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest: Kyoto Station: Day Trip to Uji: I stopped in a barbecue place and the […]

Categories: Asia, Japan, Kyoto, Travel • Tags: Arashiyama, Asia, Backpacking, Japan, Kyoto, Traveling, Uji

2

Entering Japan: Osaka

July 8, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

I left the school I worked at in Vietnam to start a new journey backpacking Japan, visiting my family in Singapore, and to live and teach in Taiwan. I didn’t dislike Vietnam but couldn’t get past some of the cons that made me not want to extend my stay past my fifteen months of living in Ho Chi Minh City. Some of the things I do and don’t miss about living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: The corruption: My […]

Categories: Alcohol, Asia, Backpacking, Creative Writing, Ho Chi Minh City, Japan, Osaka, Singapore, Tips, Travel, Travel Tips • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Japan, Osaka, Survival Japanese, Travel, World Travel

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The Best of Da Lat

May 14, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

With three days off from work thanks to Vietnam’s Kings’ Commemoration Day I booked a ticket from my home in Ho Chi Minh City, better know as Saigon, to explore the small, mountain town of Da Lat, Vietnam. A glance into my daily life in Saigon consisting of traffic jams, Vietnamese food, rudimentary construction sights, and teaching.   Join in on the live music, despite the horrendous bar service, at V Sky Bar: Buy a round of Vietnamese rice wine […]

Categories: Asia, Backpacking, Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast Asia, Travel, Travel Tips, Vietnam • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam

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Five Non-Touristy Things to Do in Langkawi

February 28, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

I came to Langkawi during Chinese New Year as a solo backpacker. Bringing only one small backpack, a hostel reservation, and a “just wing it” itinerary. I wanted to avoid all the touristy spots such as the popular Sky Bridge and Cable Car that were overpriced, brimming with rude tourists, and queues hours upon hours long. So, I did what I always do, I simply got lost and stumbled upon hidden adventures. 1. Visit Eagle Square then take the local […]

Categories: Asia, Backpacking, Langkawi, Malaysia, Penang, Southeast Asia, Travel • Tags: Beach Hopping, Fishing, Georgetown, Island Hopping, Langkawi, Malaysia, Muay Thai, Penang, Saltwater Fishing

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A Portfolio of Poetry (2017)

February 1, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Lullaby All it took was a simple click, A quiet smile, A play of words, And she did the rest. She was his waking thought, His lullaby, His innocence. Curled under the bed sheets, Watching her lull into sleep, He would call her his heartbeat.   Pills The hardest pill to swallow Will be when she sees All the love you have to give And quickly replies That’s not good enough.   Nights No More Out of all the sleepless […]

Categories: Creative Writing, Literature, Nonfiction, Poetry • Tags: Creative Writing, English, Literature, Nonfiction, Poetry

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Phu Quoc Island: Off the Beaten Path

January 3, 2018 by Shaun Li Stoffer

My Christmas consisted of enduring a typhoon, bartending at a Vietnamese beach bar, and exploring paradise!

Categories: Asia, Phu Quoc, Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Beaches, Islands, Phu Quoc, Solo Travel, Southeast Asia, Travel, Travel inspiration, Travel Tips, Vietnam, World Travel

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An Open Letter to First Love

October 24, 2017 by Shaun Li Stoffer

An Open Letter to First Love I haven’t written you because it took me a long time to be able to think of you or hear your voice without feeling something. Not something that left me with a long bar tab. Not something that made me go berserk on a heavy bag or lay in bed all day. It was something that made me miss the times we’ll never have again. It was me opening our scrapbook without wanting to […]

Categories: Creative Writing, Poetry, Travel, Writer, Writing • Tags: Creative Writing, English, Literature, Poetry, Prose, Writing

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Something you'd never think about Taiwan is that the country is filled with buildings hosting nothing but claw machines boasting a variety of prizes from computer mouses to fulllength novels. They are super popular with the locals and visitors alike but behind closed doors it's believed that Triads run many of these businesses as a form of money laundering considering one play on a machine is 10 Taiwan dollars (33 cents USD) and couldn't possibly create a profit as the businesses never have more than a few customers at a time.
Drove my motorbike about two hours with nothing but a backpack and a tank of gas. Decided to take the scenic route that follows the southwest coast of Taiwan. Not necessarily for the nature views, not for less traffic, but simply because I missed the smell of saltwater in the air. One of those little things I took for granted that reminds me of my home of Florida.

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