"I saw a magician in this city who could make a tree grow out of a basket. It was a truly astonishing trick, though I suspect some deception was involved."

"The animals in this land are very wild. I saw a leopard once, and it was so close I could almost touch it."

"Among their odious customs is that women do not veil themselves, and they are not ashamed of this. Many of the women I saw were more beautiful than the men."

"The women of this land wear veils that cover their entire faces, so I could not see their beauty."

"The Chinese are infidels, but they are a good people."