burrito day 12/03/04

The BDC has recently become enthralled with Magellan's circum-navigational adventure from 1520-1522. Many credit Christopher Columbus for being the greatest explorer / adventurer of the late 15th / early 16th century, but after reading Over The Edge of the World, a historical account of the first trip around the globe, one would have to disagree - Magellan easily takes the title. Columbus died believing his short trip across the Atlantic had taken him to the West Indies - in retrospect, a complete moron! Magellan, in contrast, was a true leader and was determined to find the real Western route to the Indies. He correctly realized that he would need to sail South of the Americas to reach his intended destination. Five ships and 210 people left the ports of Spain in early 1520 believing their master would lead them to glory- only 1 ship and 18 people (Magellan not being one of them unfortunately) returned to Spain in late 1522. Over The Edge of the World captures many great stories from this voyage in surprising detail; from their adventures along the South American coast, where South American Indian women would swim out to greet the incoming voyagers, to the rebellions that took place trying to overthrow their leader (Magellan's cunningness overcame each one of these), to Magellan's eventual demise in the Philippine islands, where he was killed in a battle that he didn't need to fight, Over The Edge of the World is recommended reading for any burrito day attendee. It's an excellent account of quite possibly the greatest voyage in human history

On burrito day, there are stories of people trying trying a new topping (eg. Barbacoa or Hot Sauce or Guacomole) .. and some may even claim to be adventurous. -- Magellan sailed around the world without any understanding of the true size of the world (especially the Pacific Ocean) -- Now that's an adventure!