Despite missing out on Duran Duran's peak of popularity, their music videos still left a valuable mark in my consciousness. One of it was their song "Save a Prayer". Shot on location in Sri Lanka, it features intoxicating scenes of temples, golden beaches and ancient ruins. One particular part of the video stood out for me; it's the scene where Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes are performing the song on top of a massive boulder surrounded by what look like a set of ancient ruins.

Postcards, magazine covers and travel narratives keep reminding me of Sigiriya until the day came; when I finally able to pencil a date for a trip to this fascinating teardrop-shaped nation.

A few days before I fly out to Sri Lanka, I made a rough itinerary that left room for episodes of spontaneous detours. The only places I listed are Colombo—my inbound and outbound city—and Sigiriya. Anything else in between to fill my 2-week solo backpacking trip are open to sudden wanderlust whims.

I ended up circling the UNESCO World Heritage loop covering Galle, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Dambulla and Sigiriya—missing out only on Anuradhapura.

Right from the onset of planting my first step, I feel my pulse racing with excitement at the thought of setting foot at the ruins of on olden Ceylon civilization atop a 600-feet massive rock column. It certainly is a dream about to happen. Sigiriya was chosen as the capital of King Kashyapa's kingdom during his reign from 477 to 495 CE. The place which they call as Sīnhāgiri or the “Lion Rock” (an etymology likened to Sinhapura or the Lion City—the Sanskrit name of Singapore) represented the peak of his rule both literally and figuratively.

Abandoned after his death, it became a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Evidence of the ruins found on Sigiriya suggests the Buddhist Monks occupied this as early as the 3,000 BC. Historians had a hard time tracing the origins of Sigiriya. According to the Palm Leaf Book of Ravana Watha (which detailed the story of Ravana--the great king of Lanka), Sigiriya was built more than 50 centuries ago upon the order of King Visthavasa (father of Ravana) and was designed by Maya Davana (an ancient king known for his architecture brilliance).

As confusing the history of "The Lion Rock" may be, one thing is crystal clear: it is old AF.

The passing time have hidden the grandeur and historical significance of Sigiriya Rock until in 1831, when members of the 78th Highlanders of the British Army led by Major Jonathan Forbes stumbled over a "bush covered summit". Since then, the renaissance of Sigiriya came to light to the world, as antiquarians and archaeologists converged on top of the "Lion Rock" to conduct extensive research.

Reaching the halfway point of my climb, I reached the Mirror Wall, which at the time of King Kassapa appears almost like a looking glass due to its smooth texture made of extremely polished white plaster and masonry brick wall. Fading as centuries passed, the wall today appears bare but upon closer look, one could see some of the oldest graffiti known in the world, as scribbled poems dating back to as early as the eighth century can be read.

A renowned Sri Lankan archaeologist Dr. Senerat Paranavitana interpreted a total of 685 verses believed to have been written between the eighth and 10th century CE on the mirror wall. One of the verses, apparently inscribed by a lovelorn soul, reads (as translated from Sinhala):

“The girl with the golden skin enticed the mind and eyes. Ladies like you make men pour out their hearts. And you also have thrilled the body. Making it stiffen with desire.”

As I negotiated the spiral staircase, I came inside a small cave housing impressive fresco art works. Known as “The Maidens of the Cloud,” the impressive paintings of 21 women partaking in various religious rituals left me in astonished state with its smooth color tones and the retention of its fine rich details after the passing of many centuries.

Heaving a torrid series of deep breaths I drank the last portion of my bottled water and made my way to the ruins of the lion’s mouth, where two gigantic lion paws sandwich the last stairway leading up to the summit.

A few more dozen paces and I find myself rising slowly at the top summoning the unearthly views of the Sigiriya gardens from below. Spinning my neck I see the rest of a palatial ruin forever lost in the passage of time.

As I sat and took a much needed rest, I savored the sense of grandeur associated with this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trudging my right feet over a mound of soil on the very same ground where Buddhist worshipers stomped theirs as early as the third century BCE, left me with a deep historical awareness. That moment, elation filled my mind. I dare not wish to be somewhere else.

It took me almost a day of traveling—including a long layover in Kuala Lumpur—before I landed at Nagpur Airport from Mumbai. Upon arrival, I immediately rendezvoused with my friend Karla at her hotel. Wasting no time, me met our driver from Pench who was already waiting in the lobby to drive us on a three-hour ride to Pench in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.

Karla and myself were invited to attend and cover the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Summit happening a week later. Fortunately, the good people from Pench Tree Lodge and Pugdundee Safaris invited us for a complimentary stay and to experience a safari tour inside Pench National Park.

While I expect the safari—my first ever—to be an experience to remember, I never thought the place where we will be staying would add another layer of awesomeness to this trip.

As our car passed through small villages spread far and in between over a long stretch of highway flanked by the interchanging landscapes of lush farms and dry soils, I resisted mightily from dozing off. After a couple of hours, our vehicle rolled into the off-road part of the countryside. "This is already part of the buffer zone of Pench National Park" our driver told us. Jolted to full awareness, I immediately felt the great nature vibe of the place we're nearing into.

“Look, that’s a Kingfisher bird” said our driver as he point out India’s national bird. “There, another kind of bird, there are a lot of different birds seen here” he adds.

I felt my excitement shoot up as we pulled over the driveway before being greeted by the amiable staff of Pench Tree Lodge. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we were led to our tree-house. A 5-minute walk from the reception hall and the common area, we finally saw our tree-house standing in the middle of a long pathway surrounded by tall grasses and blending in with the other trees.

Almost every child growing up dreamed about living on a tree-house. I remember when I was eight or nine, together with a few of friends, we tried building a wooden platform on body of a mango tree. We used woods salvaged from a nearby construction site and took turns hammering until we were able to build a small podium where all four of us sat and played jack stones every afternoon after school.

Since then, I’ve had actual experiences sleeping inside a tree house. The one in Antique comes to mind first. But the one at Pench Tree Lodge where me and Karla stayed for three nights is every bit the kind of a tree-house from my childhood fantasy.

Ours is a spacious abode of creaking wooden floors and walls framed with appealing artworks and fancy corners. Every inch of our room blended beautifully against the Mahua Tree it was built on. The Mahua Tree is an Indian tropical tree found in the Northern and Central plains and forests of India. It grows at an average of 20 meters tall and possesses a lush evergreen foliage.

It was one of the six tree-houses built inside the property of Pench Tree Lodge. Supported by stilts and made of local Sal wood, our tree-house spreads into a veranda where you can enjoy a view of the multitudes of birds and butterflies. A lounger that doubles as a day bed sits beside the large French windows while two single beds, a working desk, two side tables and a walk-in closet leads to the bathroom.

Aside from the Wildlife Safari activities, the staff of Pench Tree Lodge also took us on a bird-watching session near a small lake inside the resort. On our first sunset at Pench, we were served with chewy cookies and tea as the beautiful sun starts its slow descent from the sky. We saw an assembly of a variety of bird species while Chinmay—the in-house naturalist of Pench Tree Lodge—briefed us on what to expect on our Safari tour.

(Read more about our Safari experience HERE)

In between our Safari tour, Chinmay also took us on a cycling exploration of the nearby villages giving us an opportunity to mingle with the town people. All of whom welcomed us with a smile and indulged us to some interesting small talks.

(Read more about our Village Cycling tour experience HERE)

Other than starting our day with a hearty breakfast by the pool, the Chef and the kitchen crew of Pench Tree Lodge treated us to a list of romantic dining settings. Bush Dinner-check, Organic Farm Dinner-check. Each meal we've had at Pench further enamored me with Indian cuisine.

The food was mostly vegan with a few exceptions of a couple of chicken and lamb dishes.

• 6 Treehouses made from local Sal wood and built at an elevation of 18 feet.
• 6 Cottages inspired by Tree House living are made of stone and local Sal wood.
• Private sit out deck and bay window lounger that doubles up as a day bed.
• Swimming Pool.
• Nature library, Restaurant and lounge.
• Birdwatching spots inside the resort.
• Sunset Picnic and Outdoor Dining options.
• Spacious bathroom with 24 hours hot and cold water.
• Complimentary organic toiletries and bathroom essentials.
• Electric kettle with a selection of tea and coffee.
• Interactive sessions with naturalists every evening.
• Knowledgeable in-house naturalist team.
• Organic vegetable garden.