The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

256 REVIEW ARTICLES
Marco Polo set sail when the northeast monsoon blew, as did
mariners from ancient times. (There is a windcbart in section 3, p.
187.) He got to Champa (Ziampa), sailed across to the peninsula
where he made landfall about Bandon (Pentan), sailed between two
islands where the water was. shallow (Samui and Phangan), to Nakorn
(Malaiur) and from there to or past the Singora Inland Sea to the first
city in Malaya (Java Minor); then down the east coast, round the
peninsula, up the west coast to the last city he visited, and from there
across the Andaman Sea between the Andaman and Nicobar groups
(Angaman and Necuveran) to Ceylon (Silan). From Ceylon he got to
the Middle East and then overland to Venice.
The fleet was a large one and contained at least 2,000 armed men.
The purpose of the voyage was to deliver a Tartar princess to the court
of the Ilkhan of Persia. Besides experienced mariners, the party probably
included ambassadors and certainly ladies-in-waiting. Polo could get
expert information from these people about the places visited or passed,
but whether be made notes or not, we do not know. When be got home
he became involved in a war and was taken prisoner. While a captive
in Genoa he dictated his story· to a fellow prisoner. In bis story be
might have got some minor details wrong, but I think the major aspects
of his narrative would be correct, and these major aspects would include
the directions and sizes of the four islands, which included Java Minor.
So my first supposition can be accepted with confidence. In fact if it is
not, Marco Polo's story is, and will continue to be, straight bedlam.
But Marco Polo was no better than a tourist, so let us compare
him to one. Suppose a present-day tourist travelled from Bangkok to
Chiengmai by a tour bus. The bus, running on a 'superhighway, would
make its first stop at Nakorn Sawan after passing through several
provinces but without actually going into any of the. provincial capitals.
After a stop of half an hour to fill. up, it would set off again and,, running.
through parts of the provinces of Kampaeng Pejr and Tak, make its second: