Noise, tuk-tuks and a bewildering amalgam of little shops selling everything from smoked fish to sandalwood chippings set the scene in the Pettah district, home to the grand bazaar of Colombo, which used to be "outside the city walls". Although at its busiest in the morning, you can easily spend a whole day there exploring the town house, floating market, Dutch Period Museum and countless kovil (Hindu temples.