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Vasco da
Gama
Vasco da Gama, a portuguese discoverer, is famous for his completion of the first
all water trade route between Portugal and India.
Brief History:
Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal, in 1469. Being the son of the town’s
governor, he was educated as a nobleman and served in the court of King Joao II.
Vasco da Gama also served as a navy officer, and in 1492 he commanded a defense
of Portuguese colonies from the French on the coast of Guinea. Vasco da Gama was
then given the mission to take command of the first Portuguese expedition around
Africa to India.
When Vasco da Gama set out on July 8, 1497, he and his crew planned and equipped
four ships. On the voyage, Vasco da Gama set out from Lisbon, Portugal, rounded
the Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and sailed north. As the ships sailed along
the east coast of Africa, many conflicts arose between the Portuguese and the
Muslims who had already established trading centers along the coast. Vasco da Gama
finally arrived in Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. Calicut was the principle
market of trade for precious stones, pearls, and spices.
Vasco da Gama and his crew departed in August 1498 and reached Lisbon in September
of 1499. The return trip took so long because many of the sailors died of
diseases such as scurvy.
When Vasco da Gama returned, he was rewarded with a great celebration. Vasco da
Gama was looked upon as a hero.
Description:
This is a locationless cache, which means, no container to find, logbook to write
or items to exchange. Instead, all you have to do is find a monument to the portuguese discoverer Vasco da
Gama. Then take a photo with your GPS in it, log a find including the
coordinates, and try to provide a little history of the place.
Normal locationless cache requirements apply such as one find per geocacher and
each location can be logged only once.
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