When I was a kid, back in the early 60's my Mom bought a Time-Life Pictorial Atlas of the World. Yeah, the maps were great but what had the most effect on me were the photographs. I remember two in particular. One was of the home, pictured below, carved into the fascinating rock formations of the Goreme Valley, Anatolia, Turkey. The other was a photo of some rice paddies in Southeast Asia; probably somewhere in Isaan. After seeing those photos I knew that I simply had to see places like that with my own eyes. I've had the travel bug ever since.
Home carved into stone in Goreme.
Goreme Valley
Goreme Valley
Goreme National Park is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Next up: Iran