Snake Charmers

Held Hostage in Jaipur

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November 12th 2005
Almost as soon as I stepped out of my hotel in Jaipur, I was pounced upon by a lurking auto rickshaw driver. I forgot his name only seconds after he told it to me, so I'll call him Musa for the purposes of this story. (No doubt he similarly forgot my name, "Brandon" being as unpronounceable to his tongue as his true name was to mine.) "Rickshaw today, sir?" Musa asked. "All day only 100 rupees ... read more

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaipur

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The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab in... ... read more