# data[].attributes.body
The first place the adventurers arrived at after sailing out of Venice was Jerusalem. When Marco Polo was there he received holy oil. When Denis and Francis went there they also received holy oil because it was Easter Sunday. However, Jerusalem was much more modern now than it was when Marco Polo went there.

# data[].attributes.body
After that the journey led towards Turkey. Both of them found Turkey very hospitable with food on every corner. On the contrary, when Denis and Francis arrived they found a very small fishing village, but when Marco Polo was there it would have been a very large busy bustling port.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout Afghanistan there is a large civil war going on. Unfortunately when Denis and Francis arrived there they ended up in the midst of it. When Marco Polo was there, there was no such war going on. Although the travelers arrived there at very different times, they were both ambushed by the same group decedents from Mongol warriors only 7 centuries and 20 or so generations later.

# data[].attributes.body
There were lots of buildings when both arrived. When Denis and Francis got there the buildings were still the same as when Marco Polo traveled there, they matched the description almost exactly! However, Denis and Francis traveled through the country by train while those were not available when Marco Polo traveled.

# data[].attributes.headline
China: Kashgar and the Taklimakan Desert

# data[].attributes.subject
China: Kashgar and the Taklimakan Desert

# data[].attributes.body
Kashgar is one of the highlights of the silk road. People there are only able to live because of how much they trade. When Marco Polo was there they had to write their names on their doors as a way to keep a census and miraculously when Denis and Francis arrived this was still an occurrence. However, when Marco Polo was there they were apart of China, but now they are called the Weegers and are trying to gain independence from China.

# data[].attributes.body
When the adventurers made there way to Zhangye China the read about a Big Buddha lying down in front of a temple in Marco Polo's book and they found that same Buddha. The difference with their experience was they were treated very poorly partly because the city had almost nothing to begin with. Also Marco Polo was always treated well because he had a special pass since he was traveling the silk road with is father to trade.

# data[].attributes.body
When Marco Polo and his group arrived on the island of Sumatra they were in big trouble because the winds had changed so they could not get off for five months. The people that lived there he described as savages and cannibals so he was very eager to get off the island. On the contrary, Denis and Francis found the people there some of the nicest they had encountered. They gave tattoos using a much different method than we use in the United States and Denis got a tattoo from them. Although the two groups had very different experiences they both got there from Hong Kong riding along on a cargo ship as a part of the crew.

# data[].attributes.body
An important lesson that the travelers learned and that we can learn too is that we are very lucky as Americans. While Denis and Francis were in Zhangye China there was very little there. The bathroom was hardly the size of a typical American closet. We should be very grateful for what we have.

# data[].attributes.body
I would like to travel to the Walkhan Corridor. Not in November like Denis and Francis did when it was freezing the entire time. It looks like a lot of fun to walk through the mountains and then climb out of them. Also to not have any people to run into for miles and miles while you hike.