"In Anatolia, I met a dervish who could make himself invisible. Or at least, that's what he claimed. I never saw him do it."

"The Chinese are skilled in crafts, but they are not a people of religion."

"I was once offered a princess in marriage in this land, but I declined, for I was already married and had a long journey ahead of me."

"The women here are beautiful, and they do not veil themselves. This is a strange thing in a Muslim country."

"The dogs in this land are very fierce. They bark at strangers and try to bite them. I had to carry a stick to fend them off."