Over a period of 5 months, I had the opportunity to visit Xinjiang province twice, both times with DJI Global, the largest and best drone manufacturer in the world, with whom I worked on the project for their 3 new products (DJI Mavic 3 Pro, DJI Mini 4 Pro and new portable charging station). These were two journeys that I will never forget, because I’ve never experienced anything like this before, nor have I seen. Xinjiang province lies in the far northwest of China and is somehow forgotten and isolated from the rest of the world. It is something special, not only because of the diversity of the landscape, but also because of the friendliest people I’ve managed to meet so far. Already on a flight there, there was a landscape like I’ve never seen before. The landscape is so special, so diverse and fascinating that it is difficult to describe it in words.
Gobi desert & Mars Base
The first trip with DJI took place at the end of March 2023, when I flew from Shanghai to the city of Urumqi (also known as Dihua), the capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Province. Right after landing, I took a train to a small town called Hami, which lies just on the edge of the majestic Gobi desert. Early in the morning the next day, we (I and the rest of the team) drow by off-road cars named TANK towards the desert, where the shooting location was planned. After a few hours of driving, we reached the desert at dawn. I think this was only my second or third visit to the desert.
We spent 2 adventurous days in the Gobi desert, accommodated in the desert at the place called ”Mars Base”. The base consists of a dozen boxes (containers), in each of the boxes there are 4 small capsules, inside of which was only a bed, small light, ventilation, clock and two electrical plugs. Due to the large distance from the nearest infrastructure, the whole base is powered by a generator and solar cells only. With just send and rocks around and far from others, it really felt like we were somewhere on planet Mars, and the capsules, we slept in, were our small spacecrafts. It was a truly unique experience. At the photo shoot of new DJI dron promotional material, I and the Labrador puppy played the main roles, along with ”our” old Toyota Land Cruiser. The shoot took place only at sunrise and sunset and at thoughtfully selected locations in the desert by the producers. In those two days, I could witness one of the most beautiful views ever – standing high on a rock, looking far through the desert, having the view I can only dream of, and waiting for the first (or last) rays of the sun over rocky masses far, far away was just something beyomd amazing and something unimaginable for me. In moments, when I was just standing with the drone remote control in my hands and looking in the distance, I felt so free, happy, excited and humble, but also proud. These were moments, I will carry within me for long. It was one hell of a trip.
You can see more pictures on my ”小红书 Little Red Book” account: @marko_degenek
Altai mountains & very first horse riding experience
The second adventure with DJI followed 5 months later. The journey once again took me to the beautiful and unique Xinjiang province, only this time, much farther from Shanghai, right to the far northwest of China, under the Altai Mountains, which delimits China from Kazakhstan. A flight lasting more than 5 hours, ended up in the city of Yining (or Ghulja), where producer Andy was already waiting for me at the airport. Andy was in charge of me for those 4 days, as long as the whole trip lasted. We weren’t alone, there were two more female models, Catherine from China and Milana from Kazakhstan.
We stayed overnight in the city of Yining, and then set off early in the morning, for me, unknown where. We drove across the magnificent landscape – past many villages and thousands of small stone houses with blue roofs, past numerous tree avenues, grain fields, met herds of sheep and horses, hens and ducks, walking freely along narrow roads. To make everything look even more beautiful, the sun took care of it, which first delighted us with a beautiful sunrise and then ”accompanied” us throughout the journey. The road ran through valleys and hills, descending and rising. The landscape became, from gray and rockier, greener and greener. First, only vast green grasses were visible through valleys and hills, and then, as we drove into the hilly area, more and more trees began to appear. It was idyllic. The landscape resembled the Slovenian Alps a little. After four hours of driving, we reached the valley, which was populated with small wooden, fairytale houses and large white tents, typical of Kazakhstan, as I was taught by Milana.
The village was our first stop. It was well off at noon when we learned that we would have to ride horses to the location where it is planned to photo shoot, to a place three hours away. I became a little skeptical, because I had never rode a horse before (pony horse doesn not count), let alone riding it for 3 hours, and then another 3 hours back. But there was no other option. If someone had mentioned to me earlier what lies ahead, I would say I can’t do it. Soon, we were all on horseback, the whole team, with many local helpers, horse owners. The locals were Kazaks who did not look like Chinese in appearance. There were about 20 of us in total, and the horse a little less, so some locals walked or rode a horse in a pair. And so, we went – over steep banks, across forests, narrow, almost impassable paths, rocks, narrow bridges, over rivers, grasses, mud… At first I was a little scared and uncertain, both in myself and in a horse, but over time I became more confident and began to enjoy it. It was an experience I can’t describe, and that I would never say I’m capable of. It was something of the craziest thing that happened to me. I did it, we all did. After less than three hours of riding, a valley with a river opened before our eyes. The valley was magical and as if someone had painted it. This was where the photo shoot for DJI drone took place. The horse’s riding, however, was far from over. The task of us, the models, was to cross a river in line, while the team of producers and photographers tried to capture the right moment. Going through the river was extremely demanding, especially for horses. I ran a ”herd”, Catherine and Milana were following. We have already crossed the river at least 30 times and horses have become more and more impatient. Just before sunset, we succeeded. They got the desired picture. Can you imagine what we all did to end up with a single picture!? Pretty impressive and crazy at the same time, if you ask me. It had already darkened, and we had all the way back ahead of us, 3 hours of off-road horse riding. Without the help of the locals, we wouldn’t be able to get back that night. With their assistance and lamps, we somehow reached the first electricity and our base. In my opinion, this feat was quite dangerous and irresponsible on the part of the project planners, and fortunately no one got hurt. I ended up feeling every muscle in my body, and after more than ten hours on horseback, I had enough riding for a while. It was truly a day to remember.
At this point, I would like to mention once again the locals, who spent a day with us and I was impressed with, They were simply amazing – so happy, kind and hearty, giving and ready to help, simple and smiling. I spend only one day with them and I learned a lot. At first, one might think they don’t have much, but despite poverty and simple living, they have it all and more, they have much more than we all do. Along the way, as we rode back in almost total darkness, I admired the stars that were visible as if they were in our palms, thinking and questioning myself – about them, about life in general and its meaning, and so on… In the end of the day (I believe), I got an answer to all this.
Snowy mountain & flat tire
On the second day, the path led us to a well-known tourist location, all the way to the foothills of the mountains covered with snow. The ride to get there again took about 5 hours. It was Friday, and the plans were to finish the project that day and go back home. Catherine did her job, so she could already head to the airport for a flight to Shanghai. Only I and Milana were planned for further shooting. The bad mood in the team escalated, as unexpectedly plans were changed by bad weather. There was no end to the rain, and it also cooled down drastically, even below freezing. The day was lost, and the weather, according to the forecasts of the locals, should be no different the next day. Hoping that they were wrong and that the sun would be waiting for us in the morning, we settled in the nearest hotel and ended the day.
Woohoo, they were wrong! We woke up to a crystal clear, sunny but cold morning. Everything went smoothly from then on, except…
We had to finish by one o’clock in the afternoon at the latest, as Milana and I both had a flight at about six o’clock in the afternoon from an airport 500 kilometres away. We couldn’t miss our flight, as Yining Airport only has one flight per day for a specific location. We completed on time! Andy, who took care of us for these 4 days and drove us all this time, was very excited that, despite all the difficulties, we managed to finish it on time. We sat in the car, Andy was yelling out of joy. He started the car, which was parked on gravel by the river there, and accelerated to such a speed that sharp small rocks cut the car tire. After 200 meters of driving, we stopped. What now, how to get to the airport? Fortunately, there was spare tire in the trunk, the thin one, the one you are not allowed to exceed the speed of 80km/h. We were back again on all four wheels and drove away. In the end, everything worked out beautifully. We arrived at the airport on time, said goodbye and successfully ended with another unforgettable adventure ”directed” by DJI.
