In 1271, 17-year-old Marco Polo left Venice to begin one of the most amazing odysseys of all time. Marco, along with his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo, was about to enter Asia, a land completely unknown to Europe. The mysteries that Marco Polo saw and reported ＿＿（41）＿＿ not only his life but also the lives of Europeans in general. Marco Polo was amazed by the wonders and riches he saw. The sophistication of the Orient made Europe seem ＿＿（42）＿＿ . While the weavers of Venice were just learning to work with silk, Oriental weavers had been producing exquisite brocade for centuries. In making porcelain, Oriental ＿＿（43）＿＿ had long used techniques that were unknown in the West. Throughout the empire of Kublai Khan, money made of paper was used for business ＿＿（44）＿＿ , something unheard of in Europe. In all, Marco Polo spent 24 years ＿＿（45）＿＿ the Eastern world from Venice to Cathay. The diary of his travels remains a remarkable tale of adventure as well as a record of the Orient of the thirteenth century.