After driving from the Kayseri airport for an hour surrounded by sunflower fields on a flat, two lane road traversing Turkey's Anatolian plateau, the landscape changed drastically from an even plain to something resembling the moon. My mom and I couldn't believe the sight of these giant objects randomly emerging from the ground.
The "fairy chimneys" were created by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago and shaped over the years by wind and rain. These formations cover Cappadocia, an area in the center of Anatolia, where people built dozens of towns and monasteries using the rugged landscape for protection and shelter.
This remote region in the center of Anatolia is far from any of Turkey's major cities, but it has become a hot spot for backpackers and upscale tourists alike. The captivating landscape, combined with thousands of years of history and recently built luxury hotels, have put this isolated area on the map for travelers looking for something a little off the beaten path.
Our guide explained how the "fairy chimneys" got their name. They were first inhabited thousands of years ago and later abandoned. When people returned to Cappadocia, they didn't know who had built homes inside the rocks and believed that fairies had lived there previously.
Our first stop was Zelve, an almost 2,000-year-old monastery carved into the anthill-like formations. Some of the first Christians fleeing persecution from the Roman Empire found refuge in this remote area.
"Last week we could walk that way," Alec said, pointing to the roped-off path blocked by crumbling rocks. "But the boulders keep falling."
Scaling uneven rocks and ducking under low ceilings, we discovered bedrooms, churches and kitchens that had been carved into the rocks by hand. A tandoori grill was dug into the soft earth below and the outside of each home had a pigeon house, since local people relied heavily on the birds for food and fertilizer.
The Goreme Open-Air Museum, encompassing the site of the most well-known and largest of the preserved towns in the area, was a monastic community for early Christians. There are many intact, rock-hewn churches decorated with paintings and drawings from the town's original inhabitants.
Once inside the open-air museum, there's an extra fee to see the Dark Church, but it's worth the price.
Built into an unpresumptuous cave like the others, very little light is allowed inside, which has helped the colorful frescoes stay perfectly preserved. Many of the paintings were created around the 11th century and depict scenes from the Bible, including one of the Last Supper.
On the road outside Goreme, our guide pulled over to the side of the road and asked if we wanted to see Love Valley. Curious, we obliged, and so he drove us through an unpaved path covered in overgrown shrubbery. After a few minutes, the landscape opened up to a giant field filled with dozens of giant rocks.
As soon as we got out of the car, we realized how this place got its name. Marked by a yellow wooden sign with red phallic objects etched on, we looked up and saw dozens of X-rated rocks. It looked like Mother Nature had a good sense of humor in designing a field full of 70-foot-high erections.
Our guide told us that George Lucas had wanted to film one of his Star Wars movies in the region, but was talked out of it after colleagues took a closer look at the landscape.
We saw once-bustling cities below the ground as well. The first Christians used to escape persecution in underground hideouts such as Derinkuyu, which stretches at least eight floors beneath the earth and only 10 percent of which is open to the public.
Even the bravest of travelers may feel claustrophobic in the sprawling maze of dimly lit tunnels and chambers. Inside, we saw a winery, school and stalls for animals. To protect themselves from possible invaders, people designed round stone doors that could be rolled to open and shut off the hallways.
We were taken to our hotel, the Anatolian Houses, which was a much more upscale version of cave life. Travelers in Cappadocia used to be mainly backpackers, but recently, more upscale hotels have been popping up all over the region.
Our luxury hotel, situated on a hill overlooking the town of Goreme, was built in 2006 and has 19 guest rooms. Our room was built into the soft rock and was complete with a glass case with Anatolian artifacts and a traditional Turkish carpet covering the slate floor.
From our own patio outside our room, we had a beautiful view of the sun setting over Goreme. We relaxed at the end of the day, sipping on world-renowned Cappadocian wine from a flowing tap next to the pool.
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