Exploring the Unknown

First Day on Board

Feb 8, 1515

Today we start our trip from Spain to explore the Arabian Sea which is the surrounding sea for part of Africa and Asia. We met our captain last week so we are acquainted. He has told us that anything that is not helping us conduct our exploration of different trading ports will not be tolerated. I will write in this diary as often as anything intriguing has come forth

Finding our footing

Feb 28, 1515

We have not yet arrived at the Arabian Sea, as we are at the western edge of Africa, so we may possibly make it before the middle of March approaches. We have not yet had to improvise and eat varmits yet, but people are starting to show signs of having scurvy, My watch was reduced to doing nothing but mending sails and ropes. There has not been a fight yet, but I expect that a few of the men that scrub the deck will get into a fight soon.

The Struggles

Mar 18, 1515

Learning to sleep on the deck of our caravel has been a struggle so far, as there is little space as there are many men on our boat.A fight erupted on the tenth of March between two men who were moving the sails. Neither were injured as our captain quickly eradicated the fight and place me as the man who would start the fight would be moved to a different caravel. So far it has been a little bit tougher than scrubbing decks but moving sails is a lot more eventful.

Port Sofala

Mar 21, 1515

We have reached our first trade site, the Port of Sofala! Known for their gold, we gladly traded them for that. Though they had run on short supply, they told us there is more gold trade to the north. The port was surely swampy and was very shallow shores, but not too shallow for our caravels. Though there was not lots of things to see,it was quite a struggle to get in and out of the port. There is never anything very eventful, as most of the time we are at a port we are loading and unloading.

Port of Mombasa

Mar 28, 1515

Today we have arrived at the Port of Mombasa and are currently trading for their iron supply. The town is known for its ports and is not a very large city.They have a odd dance style called the Mwanzele. Their religious beliefs are muslim and catholic. Most men did not enjoy it here and they cannot wait to get back on the water.

Port Muscat

Apr 10, 1515

We have made it past the African side of the Arabian Sea, and we have finished trading with the Muscat port. We traded them for their spices to give our food some flavor on the embark back to Spain. There are a lot of forts here, so we had to be on our best behavior. This was tough as we have not had very much outside interaction with the people who are not on the boat with us as we go. It was slightly tough to get supplies from them, as they just finished fighting the portuguese for the land.

Catching up on things

Apr 12, 1515

It has been three weeks since I have written of our travels, as we have been trading a lot to get ready for our embark home with lots of foreign commodities. We have been eating bread for a week or so, and some men have been developing scurvy in the tens. I have not gotten scurvy yet, as I worked early in the trip to preserve the fruits we obtained. There have been more fights among sailors, luckily none have been in my watch as we work to maintain a safe relationship and get along.

Port Calicut

Apr 18, 1515

Today we came to Port Calicut, though it is not very big with trade yet, there is potential here for growth in the future. I have heard that this port was formed during the great floods of Periyar. We traded them for food to stock up for the travel home, as we are very hungry and starving. We also went and looked at the fort in calicut, it was very big. Some people have died since the last port visit of hunger, so this visit came at the right time.

Port of Malacca

Apr 24, 1515

Today we had great success with our trade with the Port of Malacca. They have been trying to attempt to dominate trade in Asia, and they have sure satisfied our needs for their conquest. According to their legends, the name is named for the omen of the weak overcoming the strong. They have lots of ferry rides, but we had no time for that as we were wanting to get in and out of the tight area.The port was beat up, as this is where a battle took place not too long ago.

Leaving for Home

May 1, 1515

We have arrived at the top of the center of the Arabian Sea. As we have embarked on this journey, we have ran out of food (but the captain has ate every day) and we have lots of gold. I have not developed scurvy, but symptoms of having it. We are tired and cold, and people are collapsing from having no energy. Things have slowed down on the boat as we lost food, less fights happened and everyone worked as a big group to overcome the loss of food.