Juxtaposing rail tracks. By: The Author

On 4th December 2022, the DP 2 Geography class went on an interesting field trip to the Pettah area of Colombo. Connecting back to Option G of the syllabus (Urban Environment), we hoped to obtain an insight into urban planning from the visit to CBD (Central Business District) of the old Colombo.

Bustling crowd waiting for train. By: The Author

Starting with the floating market, where we saw many informal economies and diverse business stores along the road, we went further into seeing the railways. Previously, I did not have any idea of the complexity of the Colombo railway systems, and this trip gave me an opportunity to see public trains and tracks in the city. The railway station was very busy, and going through itallowed me to see the Western influences on the nation’s infrastructure and transportation. Then, we

Food market area. By: The Author

headed into the Pettah market. It was a whole other eye-opening experience for me. The market has been divided into goods (bag, shoes, electronics, etc), food, and jewelry. The market was bustling, and the unique smell that combined fresh vegetables, fish, and cooked street food filled the air. This was another instance of an informal economy that served as not only the local’s supplier, but also a tourist attraction. Before we headed into the jewelry street, we visited The Old Town Hall Building. This building has been the municipal headquarter until 1924. We saw a room of mannequins of the first people of Sri Lankan independence, and a hand-written map, from which we tried to identify our locations. There were also some old-time artifacts, such as a 20th-century basketball match, boilers, vehicles, etc. It was situated in the middle of the market. From the window, we could see the passing

The hand-drawn map. By: The Author

buyers and peddlers. Before our lunch (almost dinner for me)  in the South Indian restaurant, we visited a Hindu-temple, where Mr.Lockwood identified several gods and goddesses for us. As I learned about each god, I was also impressed by the aesthetics of the god figures, that was carved into details and precision, and colored with strong, vibrant hues. After lunch, we finished up the last part of our trip, which is a glance at the port area. Even though I see this view every day, I still fell for the visuals of the scene at dusk. The port consists of elegant, vintage European buildings, which has now been converted into company offices. However, the outside of the buildings was preserved well, and I could still see their history of them. We walked back to our bus in Dutch Hospital as we praised the architecture in the last part of our journey, and ended this fun and fulfilling field trip with more knowledge and awareness.

Buildings with Western influences. By: The Author

In total, it was a more than 3km walk which I happily completed as an exercise. I took several street shots as I walked through the Pettah. Apart from receiving a huge cut on my feet (only realized after I got home), it went very smooth and enjoyable. As I made the link back to the concepts of concentric circles in Geography, I became aware of the geographical context and situations in which I am placed in. I also got a sense of several positive influences by the West ontop of their notorious colonization (Lo6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance). I am looking forward to more field trips like this and will continue to learn about the cities of the nation.