"The women of this country are very beautiful, and they are treated with more respect than the men. They are not veiled, and they have no shame."

"I saw a woman in this city who had a pet tiger. She walked it on a leash like a dog. I was quite astonished."

"The Chinese use paper money, which is the strangest thing I have ever seen. A man can carry around his entire wealth in his sleeve!"

"The houses in this land are made of mud and straw, and they are very small. I had to bend over to enter them."

"The people of this city are all black, and their teeth are white, and their women are very beautiful."