order:

6.5
China
Colette Modiano
What happens when rich Europeans visit China at the height of the “Cultural Revolution”?

7
Germany
Heinrich Heine
Why do these travel stories from 19th century Germany remain so recommendable?

5.3
Afghanistan
Jean de Mandeville
Why is it so much fun to read Medieval travel stories that are at least partly untrue?

6.3
China
Sven Hedin
Are we looking at a career-obsessed explorer or at a blueprint for Indiana Jones?

4.5
Albania
Michael Olbert
What happened to this otherwise decent book that caused it to be so annoying?

5.3
Afghanistan
Ibn Battuta
Did conservative ethics turn this great adventure story into such a slow read?