BONUS EPISODE: Mira and Finn interview Marco Polo

Welcome to a very special BONUS episode of History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com! Grab your backpacks and put on your walking shoes, because Mira and Finn are interviewing one of the greatest explorers of all time—Messer Marco Polo! Imagine being just a teenager and going on an epic road trip that takes over three years! That's exactly what Marco did when he left Venice and walked all the way to China along the famous Silk Road!

In this amazing interview, Marco tells our hosts all about his wild 24-year adventure. Hear the jaw-dropping stories of crossing huge sandy deserts, climbing freezing mountains, and riding on camels! What was it like to meet the powerful emperor Kublai Khan? And what mind-blowing inventions did Marco see that nobody in his hometown had ever dreamed of, like paper money and sparkly fireworks?

Mira and Finn have so many curious questions for our special guest! Tune in to find out how a young boy's massive journey changed the world forever. It’s an action-packed interview you absolutely won't want to miss! Get ready to explore!

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Histories Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira! And I'm Finn. In our main episode today, we learned all about medieval bestiaries. Those were the old books filled with descriptions of magnificent creatures like dragons, griffins, and unicorns.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

It was completely wild. But today is a very special bonus episode. We are actually interviewing someone who claimed he met a real-life unicorn face to face.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

Well, sort of. Our guest today is one of the greatest travellers in all of history. He walked thousands of miles, crossed mighty deserts, and lived in the court of a magnificent emperor.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

I wonder if he brought back any cool souvenirs or snacks. I would definitely bring back lots of snacks if I travelled that far.

SPEAKER_03 0:51

He brought back a whole book full of wonders. Some people back in his hometown thought his stories were just fairy tales, but he swore every single word was true.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

I cannot wait to ask him about the scary parts. Like, did he get lost? Were there bandits on the road?

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Let's find out. We are travelling all the way back to the twelve nineties to meet a true legend of the Silk Road. Prepare yourselves for an amazing adventure. Messer Marco Polo of Venice! It is such an honour to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Ha ha, greetings, little ones. The honour is mine. Welcome to my well, my rather drafty and gloomy accommodations. Please step carefully. The stone floor is quite uneven.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

It is really dark in here. And cold. Wait, are we in a prison cell?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Ah, alas, yes, I am afraid so. A Genoese prison to be exact. My beloved city of Venice was in a bit of a squabble with the city of Genoa out on the sea. I was commanding a galley and, well, I was captured by the enemy.

SPEAKER_03 2:02

Oh no! That sounds terrible. You survived twenty-four years travelling the world, only to get locked up right after you finally came home.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Do not pity me, young mirror. I may be locked behind these thick stone walls for now, but my mind is completely free.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Really? How do you stay so cheerful in a place like this?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Because I am sharing this cell with a wonderful writer. His name is Rustichello of Pisa. Every single day I close my eyes and dictate my grand adventures to him. In my head, I am not in a prison. I am still crossing the golden sands of the East.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

That is an incredible way to survive. So, for our listeners who might not know your whole story, who exactly are you?

SPEAKER_00 2:53

I am Marco Polo. I am a merchant, an explorer, and a former official to the great Kublai Khan. I spent my entire youth at the very edge of the map, and I have tales that will make your head spin.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

You were gone for twenty-four years. You left when you were just a teenager. Was it scary walking into the totally unknown?

SPEAKER_00 3:16

A little bit, yes. I was only seventeen when I left this watery city. My father Niccolo and my uncle Maffael were great merchants, and they had already been to the east once. They took me with them on their grand return journey.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

You couldn't just hop on an airplane or a far ship. You actually had to walk.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

We climbed over the freezing Palmir Mountains, which are so incredibly high that the local people say birds cannot even fly over them.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Did you cross the giant deserts, too? I heard about something called singing sands.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Ah, the Great Gobi Desert. It is a vast, endless ocean of sand. It took us about a month to cross, though it is a year long from end to end. And yes, at night, if you fell behind the main caravan, you would hear spirit voices calling your name in the dark.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Ghost voices? Nope, absolutely not. Did you run away?

SPEAKER_00 4:27

No, Finn. We stayed very close to our camels and tied loud bells to their necks so we would not get separated. We truly believed the desert spirits were calling to us, and I promise you they sounded exactly like a ghostly choir trying to lead you astray.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

You must have been so brave. We know today those voices are just wind whipping over the steep sand dunes. But it sounds like living inside a giant adventure story.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

It was certainly difficult, but we carried a special golden tablet from the Khan himself. It was like a magical royal passport that commanded everyone to give us food, horses, and safe passage along the entire Silk Road.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

So after years and years of walking, you finally made it to China. What happened when you actually met the Emperor?

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Ah, the great Kublakan, Lord of Lords. We arrived at his magnificent summer palace in Shangdu. You cannot imagine the absolute splendour. It was made of shining marble and gold, surrounded by a massive park filled with beautiful exotic beasts and flowing rivers.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Was he terrifying? I mean, he ruled practically half the world.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

He was magnificently wise and very curious about the world. He took a great liking to me. I made sure to learn four different languages so I could serve him properly. He sent me on special missions all across his vast empire.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

You must have seen things that nobody back in Europe even knew existed.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Indeed. I saw wonders that still feel like a dream. For example, they do not carry around heavy silver or gold coins to buy things in the markets. They use money made completely out of paper.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Paper money? But that is exactly what we use today. What else did you see?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

They dig up these strange black stones from the mountains and they burn them instead of wood to stay warm. The stones glow incredibly hot and burn all night long without turning to ash immediately.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

You are talking about coal. That is so cool.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

And their messenger system. They call it the Yam. Riders gallop on horseback day and night, swapping tired horses for fresh ones at special stations. A message can cross the entire empire in just a few days. It is faster than the wind itself.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Okay, but what about the unicorns? In our main episode, we talked about medieval bestiaries. You said you actually saw a real unicorn in the wild.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Ah, the famous unicorn. Yes, I saw them when I was travelling through an island called Sumatra. But let me tell you, the stories you read in your European books are completely wrong.

SPEAKER_03 7:34

What do you mean? Weren't they beautiful, sparkling white horses with magical horns?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Beautiful! Oh no, they are utterly hideous. They have thick, rough hair like a buffalo, giant padded feet like an elephant, and one thick black horn right in the middle of their snout, and they love nothing more than to roll around in sticky mud all day.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Marco, I think you saw a rhinoceros, not a unicorn.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

A rhino what? No, no, it was definitely a unicorn, just a very ugly one that likes mud. I also saw a magical creature called a salamander that can walk straight through fire.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Wait, a fireproof lizard?

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Actually, no. I discovered the truth about that myth, too. It is not an animal at all. It is a mineral they dig from the earth and weave into fireproof cloth.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Whoa, asbestos! You basically figured out all the medieval myths. But what was the best thing you ate while you were there?

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Well, the food was good, but the absolute greatest treat was a special drink at the Khan's court. They took the milk from Kublai Khan's special herd of white horses and fermented it into a tangy, fizzy beverage that tasted perfectly refreshing on your tongue.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

You got to drink fermented medieval mare's milk. That is the best historical discovery ever. You saw so much, Marco. You brought back all this amazing knowledge. But a lot of people back in Venice do not believe your stories, do they?

SPEAKER_00 9:16

It is true, sadly. They call my stories the million lies. They think I completely made up the paper money, the black burning stones, and the vast golden cities of Cathay. They think my whole life is just a giant fairy tale.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Does that make you angry? After you spent twenty-four years walking and exploring in the freezing cold and boiling heat?

SPEAKER_00 9:41

Perhaps a little frustrated, but that is exactly why I am having my cellmate Rustichello write everything down. My book will be called The Description of the World. One day, people everywhere will read it and they will know the East is real.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

We know it is real. Your book is going to become super famous and inspire explorers for hundreds of years. If you could tell kids today one thing about exploring, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 10:11

I would say, do not be afraid of what you do not know. The world is vastly larger, stranger, and more wonderful than your own backyard. Go out and see it, taste the strange foods, meet the people and learn their languages.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Are you sure you were going to tell Rushtakello everything you saw before we leave?

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Oh, Finn, I have not told half of what I saw. Because I knew absolutely no one would believe it. Some secrets of the East belong only to my memory.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

That is so amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today, Messer Marco Polo.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

You are most welcome, Mira and Finn. Now, I really must return to Rusticello. The chapter on the magical spice islands will not write itself. May your own travels be safe and full of wonders. Adio.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Bye, Marco. Wow, Mira, he really spent twenty four years travelling. I complain when a car ride takes more than forty-five minutes.

SPEAKER_03 11:18

Me too. And to think people thought he made it all up, just because he described real things like coal and paper money.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

If you listeners loved meeting the real Marco Polo, please leave us a five-star review.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

It helps other kids find the podcast so we can keep making more.com for lots more fun history. You can also email us at hello at kidopoly.com if you want a shout out or want us to interview someone else in the future.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Until next time, keep exploring. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye, everyone.