Vasco da Gama

King Manuel I (the Portuguese king) sponsored our trip, and provided the necessities for this long, dangerous voyage.

This is my last entry in my expedition journal, because this writing documents my initial thoughts on the trade with India. I will continue to explore the various trade agreements around the world that we have gotten from India, including those in the Colombian Exchange. So farewell for now, I hope to be back exploring again soon.

Before we left, I heard word from a fellow captain that ships from the Americas, supposedly carrying heavy amounts of livestock, fabrics and spices. Hopefully they will still be there when we get back to Portugal, because forming an alliance with those countries would be a good asset for us.

Today, my crew of eager explorers and I landed on the shore of India, ready for any adventure ahead of us. We were on route for 3 months, and now deciding to spend some time in India to work out trading plans, before heading back to Portugal.

This expedition was very successful, as we created a trade alliance with India, brining home new resources like spices, architectural designs, agricultural, and fabrics that are not available in Europe to sell for a big profit and change the landscape.

We sailed the Portuguese Caravel, which is a vessel designed to be fast and more suited for exploring coasts and rivers. The sextant and cross staff came in handy, helping us have the most accurate knowledge of direction and time.

Sources for photo Wikipedia Pixabay Unsplash Arts and Culture Science Photo Library

Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese Exploration May 20th, 1498 Last Journal Entry

Our current route was not ideal, so at the last moment I decided to change our plan and followed the Cape of Africa, which was a surprise to the whole crew. As a result, it  turned out to be the right decision, bringing us directly to the shores of India.