Our next stop was an overnight train journey from Jaipur. The almost empty train did little to keep out the freezing night air- we were glad to have good sleeping bags! Bikaner itself seems much less frenetic than some of the more touristy cities- and a lot friendlier. If you are going to india it is well worth a visit.

We had come to visit the Karni Mata temple, at nearby Deshnok. It is also commonly known as the Rat temple- for good reason. According to legend, Karni Mata asked Yama, god of death to restore to life the son of a grieving storyteller. Yama refused, so Karni Mata reincarnated all dead storytellers as rats, to deprive Yama of souls. Lesson- don't cross Karni Mata!

The temple itself is a good place to work through those rodent phobias you may have. Actually its not too bad, the rats are very well looked after and scamper all over the place. It is considered good luck to have one run over your bare feet (no shoes allowed). We all had some good luck!