I am baffled by the contradictions and omissions in the instructions.

dragons, ostriches, dancing apes, owlets, mermaids, and other odible monsters

In order to find clues as to how they lived it might be reasonable to visit the most primitive and isolated oasis community in the Tarim Basin. Arguably this is the village of Tongguzbasti which lies in the delta of the Keriya River, in the middle of the Taklamakan desert…

He spoke with all the lustre a seasoned enthusiast should have.