In Jan 2015, after more than 35 years of not been into this part of Colombo, I went to see the place which was once my place of work. In many previous occasions when I visited Sri Lanka from the UK, the continuous civil war and fear of being stopped by police for random checks kept me away from many parts of Colombo. Besides, carrying a camera and a notepad in hand would have been an inappropriate thing to do during that period.

Now, in a freed country after thirty years of civil war ended in 2009, I courageously took my camera hanging on to my shoulder and went to see the busiest part of Colombo, Pettah, to see all changes which might have taken place since my last visit in 1990.

As the name suggests, Pettah, meaning outside, (’pita’ in Sinhala and ‘pettai/pura’ in Tamil), is located outside the Fort. It is one of the oldest section of capital Colombo where its originality is still kept intact since it was built during colonial-era.

It is conveniently located near Colombo’s main Railway station - the Fort Railway station. Nearby bus interchange point where buses from many parts of Colombo and surrounding suburbs terminate and/or pass through. This would bring you to Pettah from any part of Colombo for a cheaper fare. The Pettah area starts just opposite to the Fort Railway Station.

Pettah covers a total of 4 to 5 kilometres of roads and could be compared to a huge open area shopping complex. Each road is designated to different trades, so you should walk around all roads to have a good understanding of the market.

It would be a day trip to explore it fully - heaven for explorers, photographers and writers. It is an Aladdin’s cave for YouTubers and Bloggers (like me) who would enter the country on a tourist visa for money making blogging. This place is a must-see for such enthusiasts to grasp a feel of Colombo and fully experience the local life of Sri Lankans.

Unfortunately, Pettah is still not a place for anyone to have a romantic walk. Neither a place that is covered with nicely paved pavements or alleyways. Though, I witnessed the Main street has now been partially paved. If your glossy guidebooks recommended Pettah as one of the top ten for such experiences in Sri Lanka, don’t believe it. Rather, it is full of small traders with pulling carts, many tiny outlets and well-established shops lined up selling a wide range of things, such as fruit and vegetables, clothes, textiles, bags, pirated DVD’s of Hollywood and Indian movies and even counterfeited watches. Though the roads are arranged in a straight manner, temporary traders are seen displaying their goods in a criss-cross manner.

Furthermore, Pettah is a very crowded zone and chaotic, comes with fully packed carbon-emitting automobiles, along with overly tuned loudspeakers of local music from shops to shops, with lottery seller’s loudspeakers being heard throughout. Added to this is the unpleasant weather of tropical humidity. Simply put, it is sweltering and dusty. One can expect to see goods being delivered in old style pulling carts amidst hundreds of people. Occasionally you may have to watch your foot step to avoid many puddled potholes and raised pavement blocks. You may not even be walking on pavements all the way through. Many illegal street vendors are mushroomed here and there, on pavements, and many stray dogs taking up entire pavement space for their after-meal nap, force you to hop on hop off between roads and pavements. While on the road walking you may surprisingly find yourself be part of the traffic jams, following a car as it navigates through the crowd, breathing in CO2 emissions which it releases. You may not be able to squeeze through many cars lined up on roads, due to many unexpected motorcycles and auto rickshaws(Tuktuk) squeezing through whatever narrow gaps they may encounter. You may find this to be a dangerous toxic mixture and could put you in a sorry state. You may have to jump out of the way of constant traffic to avoid several potential collisions. Worryingly, many properly laid pedestrian crossings were totally ignored by both drivers and pedestrians.

Furthermore, you may meet some vendors, some of them are child vendors, blocking your way with their illegally parked pulling carts, selling king coconut and oranges, standing in the middle of the road, amongst litter, strewn across the area. If you happen to be there on a Sunday when entire Pettah is empty you would see how wide roads are and how spacious pavements are.

Pettah is alive six days, Monday to Saturday. If you had been to Bangkok and expect the same kind of marketplace where beautiful young Thai ladies selling their homemade items neatly arranged and sold to you with thousands of thanks and smiles, you will be disappointed here in Pettah. 90% of all vendors are male, and all of them including a small percentage of lady vendors are keen to get their things away from them with a maximised profit. Though they are friendly and willing to spare a chat or smile, the smiles and atmosphere of Bangkok are unfortunately missing here.

Many faded colonial-era architectures built by the Dutch could be seen. They are kept intact, not due to its historical values, but purely on the country’s slow modernising policy. There is a Buddhist temple in Price Place, Poorwaramaya Temple, worth a visit. Also a mosque, known as Red Mosque, in the 2nd cross street along with Memon Hanafi Mosque in the 3rd cross street and a church in Bodhiraja Mawatha. In addition to this, there are numerous Hindu temples in Colombo, with a particularly high concentration in Pettah. The New Kathiresan temple is the closest to the main Pettah market. The Dutch museum is in Maliban Street. Many banks are scattered on many roads in Pettah, mainly in Main Street. The Old town hall is in the Bodhirajah Mawatha.

Video 1: Colombo's main railway station "The Fort Railway Station.
Video 2: I was just walking along in Keyzer Street in Pettah.

Restaurants of many varieties scattered around. From Hindu vegetarian meal to Muslim halal and many Sinhala outlets serving tropical Sinhala meal. They seem to remain open till late. Though the cleanness and hygiene of those restaurants may not be very satisfactory to the western standards, for a tourist on a budgeted holiday the price of food is very reasonable.

There were occasional sightseeing of locals arguing with each other, for trivial matters. Passers-by are non-threatening, and pickpocketing is very rare. Fear of being beaten up might have put many such thieves under control. Regardless, carrying valuables at any time isn't recommended, although you may encounter beggars lining up for some spare change. Be aware, many traders may maximise their profit by overcharging foreign travellers, meaning a bit of negotiating is necessary. You may even see your items being reduced to 80% from its original quote. If you think the over-quoted price is reasonable, give it away with an open heart. It isn't easy to be a trader in the blistering heat of Colombo streets.

During monsoon, I was told the place is more in a mess. Cars splashing puddle without a care in the world and delivery carts manoeuvring without taking much notice about pedestrians.

At dusk, when half-lit streets lights take over, Pettah takes up a different role. Most banks, shops and street vendors pack up between 5 pm and 7 pm. A tourist must avoid roaming around on foot alone in alleyways after dark. If you want to have a glance at this place in nights go in a group of 3 or more with fewer valuables in possession. This isn't to scare you off from your exploration but to avoid any unwanted attention. Though it isn't a place of drugs and sex, it may be a place of inappropriate things after dark - like many other places in Asia.

Despite all its negativity, believe me, Pettah is the heart of Colombo’s economy. It couldn't be closed for a longer period for any renovations. If this happens, Colombo’s heart will stop beating. A holiday without a visit to Pettah is simply incomplete. At first sight, Pettah may look chaotic, and you may want to turn back. However, if you know exactly what is in your mind before coming to this area, you could be going home with the right stuff for the very bargained price and take away a heart full of good memories.

Have a nice day out in Pettah and come back next time when you return. I’ll be back too.◆

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