Turkey - Cappadocia

As the bus went around the bend into the valley, we couldn't believe our eyes - we were in Smurf land! Huge stone hills have eroded into mushroom-like shapes, into which houses and churches were carved:

A church carved inside the mushroom rocks, from 10-13th century AD:

Many of the cave houses have been converted into hotels. We declined, since I knew the novelty would wear off for me in about five minutes and I would begin to wonder why the heck I was sleeping in a cave.

We also visited the Derinkuyu underground city, dating back to 7th century BC, but developed fully by the early Christians who hid there. It had seven levels, complete with churches and wells, and people could live there up to six months at a time:

This rolling stone door was used to block off the narrow tunnel roads from the enemies:

The cook making lunch at a restaurant:

Bonus Items 1 -Vagabonding life...

Self-laundry:

Believe it or not, all this stuff fits into our two backpacks!:

Waiting for the bus:

Bonus Item 2 - The global Korean scheme. This Korean sign says "10% discount for Korean travellers":