Despite missing out on Duran Duran's peak popularity, their music videos still left a valuable mark on my consciousness. One of them was for 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 to me; it was the scene where Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes performed the song on top of a massive boulder surrounded by what looked like a set of ancient ruins.

Before my trip to Sri Lanka, I had some trepidation about traveling solo to this teardrop-shaped island nation reeling from a brutal civil war. But the excitement of ascertaining the unfamiliar triumphed over my lingering doubts, and a few days before I headed out to Kuala Lumpur for my connecting flight to Colombo, I learned about the “Cultural Triangle”—of which Sigiriya (which I'm familiar with because of the Duran Duran music video for "Save a Prayer") is a part.

Consisting of a five-cave monastery perched atop a hill one hundred sixty meters high, the impressive ancient structures and paintings found inside the caves give travelers a compelling reason to make the slow uphill hike and see them firsthand. Under the torrid shine of the sun, I worked my way up the wide stair trail as dozens of monkeys goofed at each other around me. I met other travelers with smiles brimming on their faces—a clear sign of delight at what they had witnessed. Once atop, a smiling local guard signaled me to take off my shoes as I prepared to enter the first cave.

If these thick walls of Galle Fort could talk, they would narrate a rich history dating back to Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka in 1588, when the initial structure was first built. Fortified by the Dutch during the seventeenth century to repel invaders, it has since become one of the most well-preserved landmarks in the country. Acknowledged for its urban ensemble that illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, UNESCO granted it World Heritage Site status in 1988.

A day removed from my jaunt to the ancient city of Sigiriya, I was still bursting with excitement in pursuing the second leg of my exploration of the famed Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is believed to be home to the second oldest of the country's many kingdoms. Today, the city boasts scattered ruins of historic palaces, temples, statues, and chambers—just to name a few—and is highly regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Standing at the side of the road, I took out the map I got at the airport, hoping to use it in asking a local which bus to take going to Polonnaruwa.

I was meaning to spend only a night in Kandy before heading out to Dambulla. However—after experiencing the flamboyant bustles of the city and fueled by capricious wanderlust whims—I decided to extend my stay. It wasn't a bad idea, especially with Kandy situated amid the plateaus of Central Sri Lanka. Surrounded by rolling hills and tea plantations, the place presented an ideal opportunity for me to slow down a bit. I quickly discovered that much of the activity centers on the man-made Kandy Lake. A walk around here will lead you to ample heritage establishments and another of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

I realized we were outside of Galle already when the scenery shifted to azure seas and unending white sands. I resisted telling my guide Sandrew to pull over on the side of the road so I could combat the strong waves battering the shore. I saw a couple of surfers high-five each other from afar, and after another kilometer, a Sri Lankan couple gazing at the beautiful formation of whitecaps caught my attention. The wind was incessant, attached with a yawning effect on me—on any other day, I would prefer to just doze off while listening to the thunderous rolling of the waves. But unfortunately, not this day.

It was around lunchtime, just as the sun was at its peak, when I got off from the tuk-tuk at the roadside fronting a small hill. I followed my hastily written directions, jotted down on a torn piece of paper, which led me to a spiral trail heading to the top of a coconut plantation tucked inside a forest—where I assumed Villa Templeberg was perched. The three-hour train ride from Colombo had left me in high spirits, as I enjoyed every bit of scenery along the way. But along with it came a weary body screaming for a soft bed and a short nap before I began my exploration of the city of Galle. I hiked a couple hundred meters, and while on the verge of huffing and puffing, I saw a man by the door near a sign that said Villa Templeberg. He waved at me and gestured something until he disappeared inside.

Here I am sipping a hot cup of Dilmah tea on a gloomy afternoon. I know for sure that it will take a while before I start writing a lengthy narrative about my Sri Lanka trip. I am still simmering the wonderful memories in my mind. It's been quite a year so far; after India, I had no idea I would follow up with a trip to this beautiful, teardrop-shaped nation brimming with cultural and historical wealth, capped off by its friendly people. Other than the five kilos of tea that I brought home, I am most grateful for amassing a new perspective that finally replaced the image of the brutal civil war I used to associate with Sri Lanka.