"We were told that the city of Calicut lay two leagues ahead, and that there we should find a king who was very rich and powerful. He owned much pepper and cinnamon and other spices. We were told that the king of this country was called the Samorim and that he was the most important king in all this land. We cast anchor in front of the city at a distance of about a league and a half. The next day the captain-major went to shore, where he was received by the governor with much honour, and was taken to the king, who received him very graciously. He was told that the Portuguese came in search of Christians and spices."

Roteiro (Journal) of Vasco da Gama's first voyage, attributed to Álvaro Velho, 1497-99. Da Gama reached Calicut on the Malabar Coast of India in May 1498, becoming the first European to sail directly from Europe to India. The journal's authorship is not certain but it is the primary eyewitness account of the voyage.