Heh, I also can't remember his name, but it's such a Portuguese thing to do... to find a place and hang their hats and start to mix up with the natives - I know, because I'm a Portuguese descendent and they still do it!

The book it's surprising and enlightening on so many levels. I loved the bit about the Hindu gods that they took as Christian images. But also makes the image of Vasco da Gama a little less untainted than it was before, but not less heroic, I think. It's one of the best books I read last year. :-)