December 1520

Dear Journal,

Years later, I still clearly remember sailing down the coast of South
America in early 1519, on my way to the Pacific Ocean, from the European
country of Spain. I, my 5 ships, and 270 men all had been traveling the Atlantic
Ocean for what seemed like countless months, and I was absolutely positive that
I, my ships, and all my men were close to entering the Pacific Ocean. The
climate had taken a turn for the worst. Strong winds and ice cold temperatures
were destroying my ships, and my crew became very sick, so I decided ument
would be for the best if we were to stop at an island at the south coast of South
America named Patagonia, for the Winter (while trying to find a western route to
asia).
Patagonia was most certainly not the worst island, I knew that it wouldnt
be. The island was like a frozen tundra with large, frozen, snowy, mountains, the
curviest hills, animals such as llamas, foxes, and mountain lions, and there were
also lakes for fishing. We had plenty of supplies, for we had just replenished at
the island called Rio de Janeiro, which was on the southeast coast of South
America. We enjoyed our stay with fishing, hunting, climbing, and many other
physical activities(as weather permitted). I would say that I was of the most
expertise of the activities that we had partaken in. We had only planned to stay
in Patagonia for the Winter, until the weather began to clear, then leave in the
spring, or so I thought.
Patagonia was now showing signs of early spring, the snow on the
ground and the ice on the water was melting, flowers were blooming, and the
animals fur coats were turning from white to light brown. I decided to send one of
my ships, the santiago, to search for a pathway to the Pacific Ocean. I made
sure the ship had all the necessary supplies that is had needed and that all
preparations were done, then sent it on its way. Time went by very slowly as we
waited for the Santiagos return. My crew and I became bored for we had done
plenty of hunting, fishing, and had explored most of the island.Then we saw a
ship in the distance.
At first we had not known what ship it was. The ship could have been the santiago, but it
could have also very well been a ship from another European country tracking us, on a local
native tribe.I made sure to take every precaution. I had my men get into battle formation.As the
ship grew nearer I could tell it was the Santiago. I was not embarrassed about making a seen,
but rather proud that I had taken every precaution. But the Santiago was in ruins. When the ship
had reached the island I could see that only half the crew that went exploring was alive. The
captain of the expedition reported to me that they had found a route to the Pacific Ocean. But
this route had numerous dangers. so we debated strategies to get to the Pacific
Ocean. Then we had finally come to a decision. We gathered as much supplies
as we could(leaving the santiago behind). The rest of the crew and I were ready
to set sail after our long stay at Patagonia. We all boarded the remaining 4
ships(1 leaves later on), and set sail one year after the return of the santiago.
In short, my trip was an overall success. At Patagonia I only had a small
number of
Casualties left in Aug. 1520 and sailed into the Pacific Ocean in Nov. 1520 with 3
ships.