in the land of a thousand (rock) penises

or is it penii?!?

the region of cappadocia is one of the strangest, most fascinating landscapes on earth. no joke.

located in central turkey, centuries of volcanic activity, plus wind and water erosion sculpted the land into a scenery that looks like it should be in super mario world. there are literally thousands of these towering phallic symbols that sprout from the ground. the picture up top doesn't do this place justice.

for centuries, people hand-carved out rock churches, monastaries, and homes in these rock formations. some of the townspeople still live in "caves" today. of course, we bought into the hype and slept in a cave dorm. we hiked through the various valleys, mountain biked through the terrain, toured underground cities and rock churches, and rode camels (another tourist splurge).

goreme, the town in cappadocia we set up shop in, is my favorite spot in turkey so far (only istanbul is left). it has a great mix of small town, rural turkey in the outskirts with a bustling, modern main centre. although tourism is huge here, it still somehow maintains its genuine turkish charm.

the scenery doesn't hurt either.

camel jockeys