Mandeville's Traveling Mind

After finishing Mandeville I'm not quite sure why this book is so popular.  I can see how it is interesting in the sense that it is an insight into 14th century thoughts of the possible traveler, but it was a little frustrating to read.  I felt at times that it was like a stream of consciousness, or like his mind just kept traveling and wandering.  I tried to trace his travels in my mind, and they made a figure 8 at first, but then I had no idea where he was.  I wonder if the compilers of the book actually traveled or not, because I do not know of much biological/anthropological/archaeological evidence for many creatures and peoples he talked about.  Or maybe, because he was the first to see these foreign things, the only way he could interpret them was in a skewed perception.  Many times I wondered if he was describing animals instead of people, or if he was attributing tribal dress/attire as bodily features.  

The whole thing was incoherent for me.  It's definitely not a Conde Nast or National Geographic Adventure, but how could I dare to compare "the first" travel narrative to a modern magazine anyway.