A little souvenir from Pettah

It is amazing how I manage to meet friends who are visiting from outside the U.A.E, but do not seem to find the time to meet friends who are living in the U.A.E! I guess this is because, in my mind, I can meet friends who live in neighboring cities any time I wish, but I only get one chance to see friends who are here for a short period of time before they fill out their departure forms at the airport and take the next flight to another country in this beautiful world!

 

This weekend though, I decided nothing is going to stop me. I broke all barriers and stood against the procrastinating part of my being and sent out an email to friends proposing a potential meet up in Dubai (it’s always a potential plan – subject to change without prior notice due to either aunts and uncles deciding to visit suddenly or parents deciding at the last minute that letting a young unmarried girl go out will bring shame to the honor of our generations – past, present and future. Most of the time there won’t be an explanation though. A no could turn into a yes or a yes turn into a no and there is nothing you being the non-parent can do about it) and one of them was able to make it! We met at Deira City Center and then decided we want to try Granny’s Waffles (had the crepe with white chocolate sauce and pieces of fresh strawberries (the perfect kind – not too sweet, not too sour), topped off with a few drizzles of strawberry sauce – it was dreamily balanced and I highly recommend it) at Dubai Mall. We spent the next 5 hours amazed at how spontaneous we were with that plan and not being able to believe that we have actually finally really met up! Needless to say we were not even close to finishing all the things we wanted to discuss and plan and gossip about but we were happy souls with stars and rainbows and unicorns and all other pretty things sparkling from our eyes.

And the end of our lovely little reunion, I gifted her a little souvenir I picked up from Sri Lanka – a chubby little wooden elephant complete with tusks (not ivory) and all. I had got it from Pettah in Colombo. Pettah, as funny as it sounds, is the heart of bazaars in the capital city. Most of the locals still call it Main Street (or rather, maaiyn ishtreet) – a name apparently given to the area during the time of the British reign. It is located close to another area called Fort (another name given by the British I assume. It is known for being a commercial area. Although, I have never actually seen a fort in Fort!) which is where it gets the name Pettah from. Pettah is derived from the Sinhalese words Pita Kotuwa which means ‘outside the fort’. 

 

This area is filled with stores of every imaginable kind and truly tests both your bargaining and driving skills. What appears to be a two lane road will be filled with carts filled sky high with bundles of things pulled by men, trucks, vans, cars (4 wheel drives, little buggies and everything in between), autos (little 3 wheeled cross breed vehicle between bikes and cars), bicycles, motorbikes (that were built to carry two adults, but manage to carry two adults, 4 children, their school bags and this week’s grocery shopping), people (lots of people), dogs, cats and even crows! If you are able to drive through Pettah (highly not recommended) without damaging your vehicle, someone else’s vehicle or hurting/killing a person or animal – you should receive a gold coin! Also, the vendors are highly talented at separating those who are Sri Lankan, are Sri Lankan but don’t live in Sri Lanka, and non Sri Lankans. They then adjust the prices of what their selling accordingly.  You will be called ‘sister’, ‘madam’ and even ‘hello’ all in one sentence and asked to buy ‘just one, no’. It’s best to take a street smart local with you to reduce chances of being ripped off (I definitely was!).

Pictures do not even begin to capture the heat, sweat, hustle and bustle of Pettah! You will find yourself going in and out of different stores, stopping at the few air-conditioned ones to enjoy some cool air while pretending to be interested in the overly decorated yet very attractive sarees. Your shopping break will be a random stop at a stall to drink king coconut juice out of the actual coconut itself using a straw that would be highly contaminated by pollution but you convince yourself that wiping it with a tissue has cleaned it off all impurities. I don’t know if it is the natural awesomeness of the coconut juice or if indeed the impure straw does add some unknown magical flavor (I prefer to think it’s the former), but it is the most refreshing (and healthy) drink ever!

I enjoyed walking down Main Street, being introduced to shops where my grandfather, father and uncles used to do business or knew people who owned shops. It was an exciting challenge to make way for every other human and non-human while stopping at stalls and stores to sometimes buy and mostly practice my bargain skills. Pettah is definitely worth experiencing and if you are a good bargainer (and a Sri Lankan living in Sri Lanka), you can get great value for money!

I hope my friend liked her chubby little wooden elephant complete with tusks (not ivory) and all – it was bought from a place that is the heart of bazaars in Colombo, and probably the whole island of Sri Lanka.

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/srilanka/pettah.htm