Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections Cool story 1497 Vasco da Gama arrives at Lisbon instead of India. He was Portuguese and aimed to go around Africa and through the Indian Ocean, and carried many heavy treasures in search of spice. They instead sailed to Cape Verde Islands and also went southwest into the Atlantic and saw no land because they wanted to take advantage of the prevailing westerlies. Took 10 months after departure from Lisbon to reach India, but there they found a wealthy society. He traded gold for pepper and opened doors for trade Background