Exploration Project

Day at Sea(day 8)

Aug 3, 1515

I am still trying to get accustomed to the lifestyle of living on a ship. It has been diffucult staying awake for such long periods of time because I am so used to sleeping every night. The sleeping arrangements are extremely different from when I lived at home with my family, but overall I have gotten along with the other crew members and I am thrilled for the rest of our trip.

Day at Sea(day 53)

Sep 17, 1515

Living on the ocean has gradually gotten eaiser the farther we've gotten into our trip. Several of our men on the boat have gotten sick malnutrition, disease, filth, and exhaustion. Our captain has punished several of the men for disobedience, but I've obeyed the captain's rules and stayed on his good side. One man on the ship stole food and in turn his punishment was 99 strikes.

Visiting Matara

Oct 16, 1515

Today we sailed into Matara, Sri Lanka. I was really looking forward to reaching land because I've been sea sick. The captain is giving us a few days before we leave here. When sailing in, the ship looked out over a light blue shore, with sand. There were trees surrounding the beach, mostly palm trees. No issues occured between us and the natives. We traded and explored the port before leaving three days after arrival.

Day at Sea(day 98)

Nov 1, 1515

This week on the caravel it has been relaxing other than the attack on a ship in our fleet two days ago. We haven't been very busy and not many men have gotten sick this week, although many fell ill a few weeks ago. We have been playing games, telling stories, talking with peers, and singing songs. I have been doing repairs on the ships daily but they have been easy fixes.

Visiting Galle

Dec 8, 1515

Today we are visiting port Galle. It is small and it isn't far from Port Colombo, the port we are visiting next. This port is very different from the others. There are less trees along the shore, and there are several brick walls making the stairs look like steps. Galle was a relatively busy port, way more active than the others. The was a fort in Galle but we didn't see it from our
location.

Day at Sea(day 110)

Jan 14, 1516

I have been so exhausted lately. I haven't had the energy to do my job to the best of my ability. There have been storms the past few days and because we are on a caravel, we have to remain on the deck majority of the time. Few have slept within the past week. We have only ate old bisicuits reduced to powder, with worms and rat urine, and we have only had dirty water to drink.

Visiting Colombo

Jan 30, 1516

The city of Colombo is known well among several cultues. It is a fairly large port. It had a natural harbor and the people in the town were very friendly. Colombo has grown over the years, and similar to all the others is a multi-cultural city. Colombo has a fort within it's city like other ports.

Visiting Cochin

Feb 28, 1516

The Kingdom of Cochin looked similar to other ports we sailed into. During our visit, the Portuguese were having issues with the kingdom. At the beginning of the disagreement there was a new treaty signed stating their friendship. It was renewed for several years but eventually, even while the crew I am a part of was here, Portugal took over parts of Calicut

Day at Sea(day 235)

Mar 16, 1516

Food has become a major issue on the boat because it's so scarce. Many of the men on the boat have developed scurvy, due to a vitiman C deficiency. I have seen all kinds of side effects of scurvy, some are fatigue, spots on the skin, and bleeding from the gums and mucous membranes. Many of the men with scurvy have gotten to the point where they can no longer eat, and will soon die of malnutrion. I'm so grateful that I haven't caught scurvy.

Visiting Calicut /Kozhikode

Apr 20, 1516

I have heard the port we are currently in is known as the city of spices. Kozhikode has had many invasions but is a very impressive city when it comes to trading. The Kingdom of Eli was known more throughout the world before Calicut was. There are several different cultures here, and it is very interesting to see them combined into one. Although we have had a good trip I am looking forward to going home.