Etched In Adventure

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

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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My Kuala Lumpur Bucket List

October 9, 2017 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Kuala Lumpur was a destination I had mixed feelings about visiting, a lot of my fellow expats in Vietnam told me it was “pretty boring” and not worth visiting for more than a day or two tops. So I made a rough itinerary with Kuala Lumpur as a long layover on my way to visit my family in Singapore and using local budget airlines VietjetAir and AirAsia I found a ticket from Ho Chi Minh to KL for merely $65 […]

Categories: Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Travel • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Batu Caves, Central Market, KL Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, MRT, Petaling Flea Market, Petronas Towers, PS150, Southeast Asia, Speakeasy, Twin Towers

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Living Abroad in Vietnam

October 6, 2017 by Shaun Li Stoffer

The most common thing I get asked about living in Vietnam is if it’s safe. My answer is always, “if you go looking for trouble, you’ll find it.” To be frank, I think that I am fortunate for two reasons: I look like trouble and I don’t go looking for trouble. Being a muscular guy covered in tattoos, with cauliflower ear, a shaved head, and the fact that I can speak Vietnamese to an extent – I make an impression […]

Categories: Asia, Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Bitexco Financial Tower, Expats, Foreigners, Ho Chi Minh City, Life Abroad, Living Abroad, Saigon, Southeast Asia, Teaching Abroad, Vietnam, War Remnants Museum, Working Abroad

Damage

September 24, 2017 by Shaun Li Stoffer

Sitting at a round, gray lunch table being fed lies and fiction. This is where my trust was looted. Chasing a headmaster’s daughter who laughed at my puppy dog looks. This is where my confidence was shattered. In a locker room eating punches and mashing my teeth. This is where the hate grew inside me. In a chapel being commanded to stand. This is where my faith dwindled. In a camp cursing venom and rage. This is where I cried […]

Categories: Creative Writing • Tags: Creative Writing, High School, Nonfiction, Pine Castle Christian Academy, Poetry

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My Thailand Bucket List

August 23, 2017 by Shaun Li Stoffer

I went to Thailand for a few simple reasons: to ride elephants, play with tigers, and see glorious temples. I was accompanied by my buddy from Miami, Florida who shared the travel bug. We spent two days in Bangkok and three days in Chiang Mai. Here is our bucket list of the best things we saw and did! Chiang Mai, ThailandBangkok, ThailandVisit an Elephant Sanctuary: We visited Ran Tong Elephant Rescue for a cheap 1,600 baht or $50 each for […]

Categories: Backpacking, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Travel • Tags: Asia, Backpacking, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Elephant Rescue, Elephants Rescue, Grand Palace, Khan San Road, Long Necks, Muay Thai, Ram Bar, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand, Tiger Kingdom, Travel, Tuk Tuk, Wat Arun

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