China - Juizhai Valley National Park, 2-shot Panorama of Lake

...and this is the perfect way to start our adventures in the natural settings of the Park.  Our guide told us there are 110 lakes in the region, and that we would see just a few of the better ones.  Very interestingly, there was an earthquake some years ago, which created fissures into which some of them literally drained dry.  Can't have that since there's so much tourism money pouring in (no pun intended), so they repaired the lake bottoms, after which the lakes refilled for all to see.

This 2-shot panorama was captured exactly at 33.207353N latitude, 103.899553E longitude.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Ladies in Costume

At least one of these ladies seemed to be in good spirits.  Not sure, but based on dress they appear to be workers either departing from or arriving to work.  Figured this shot would be a good way to end our jaunt in this little town on our way to see some of the awesome beauty in China we'd been hearing about...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Stone Wall

 Glowing edges below:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Stone Wall with Windows

 

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Pretty Woman Next to Prayer Wheels

...and while on the subject of people, my much better half with some of those prayer wheels that Monks use to spin around.  Would've done much more with this had I had the Bigger Cahoona with me at the time.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Someone Else's Group Photo

Don't know why, but always liked taking pictures of groups looking at someone else.  No need to know who these people are, though one appears to maybe have an objection.  I snuck away pretty quickly, so didn't get the chance to have a conversation with him...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Roadside Billboard

This sign happened to be in town, but all roadside billboards in the park were mounted the same way.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Giant Electronic Billboard

The huge sign posted yesterday ends here, next to a giant electronic billboard that changed regularly.  This billboard must have been about fifty feet high.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Huge Blue Bi-Lingual Sign

Taking a gander through this little town proved interesting.  One thing I observed about China is that they like huge signs and electronic displays...billboards if you will...the above being an example.  Even inside airports you'll see huge, billboard-sized electronic signs.

Closer view below of sign above, which stretched a ways along the hillside:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Bi-Colored Confluence

Here's something you don't see too often, this confluence of two differently-colored streams.  The water in the foreground has streamed through the town, and is probably snowmelt from further away.  In the background is water originating from points closer, carrying silt directly from the nearby mountainsides.

This is what is seen in town further upstream: