Day 61: Lusaka – Petauke

Today we're driving the Great East Road from Lusaka to Petauke.

The Great East Road dates back to colonial times, connecting Tete in Mozambique, or rather Nyasaland (now Malawi), to Fort Jamerson (now Chipata) in what was then Northeastern Rhodesia. Starting in 1925, the road was also expanded westward (a rather laborious undertaking, as we read), and a bridge to cross the Luangwa River was only built in 1933.

We also crossed the Luangwa River today and had to re-establish our geographical position: The river flows from the north, out of the national park we plan to visit in the next few days. It flows into the Zambezi River east of the Lower Zambezi National Park, where we've been for the past few days. And the Zambezi has been with us since Katima Mulino in the Caprivi Strip, i.e., since the beginning of May.

The border with Zimbabwe runs south of Lusaka, just as the opposite bank of the Lower Zambezi belongs to Zimbabwe. Where we cross the Luangwa River, the border begins with a corner of Mozambique. And Chipata, which we'll be driving through tomorrow, is the border town with Malawi. It's actually just as bustling as some parts of Europe :-).

By the way: From the bridge over the Luangwa River onwards, the EU co-financed the road reconstruction. Thanks for that, great tarmac, no more potholes! In some sections, there's even a shoulder for pedestrians and cyclists, so they no longer have to run into the bushes in fear of their lives when heavy traffic rushes past.