44 km from Rumtse comes Karu, which is a major military settlement. The place is very well planned. There are uniformly and evenly spaced houses, aptly named. There are a series of well built huts, named as wet canteen, refreshments, medical aid, Entertainment etc. The army has worked real hard and has made the desert area green with the help of Indus. It appears as an oasis in desert. Please do not take any photos of this place. It is forbidden.

Now for a short description of the villages after tanglang La. The places in order, after Tanglang La are Rumtse - Sasoma - Gya - Lato - Miru - Upshi - Karu - Ranbirpura - Stakna - Thikse - Shey - Choglamsar - Leh. In one of the first three villages, your vehicle will have to cross over a flowing stream. It's exciting. There are schools in almost every village. Children with chubby red cheeks running around are very cute. Mustard fields give a fluorescent yellow colour to the stark brown landscape. The sand and the rocks around the village of Miru are red, and very different. And somewhere before Upshi, you will get company upto Leh in the form of the majestic river Indus.

The hard life of the people is worth seeing and appreciating. If you see this, you will realise the importance of every single thing in the city we have. We may consider electricity, water supply as normal and not even think about it. But when you see this village life and the meagre facilities they have, you will value every single thing you have. You are lucky.