Day 12 – Wednesday 22nd August - last day in Ruhanga

Feeling brand new today! So I got up washed, including my hair, and went out for breakfast of two boiled eggs and a slice of banana (not touching the tea anymore!).
Caroline and I then loaded the rucksack with donations and headed off in the direction of Paddy/Patrick’s house to distribute clothes, soap and colouring books and to take some photos of his youngest son Freedom (pictured), whom I will sponsor next year when he starts school.
We returned about 11am as the rucksacks emptied and spent some time cooling down in the computer room before dropping the images off in town for printing, buying Winnie a large English dictionary as a leaving gift from her new sponsor and treating ourselves to a fudge bar each – our first chocolate of the trip. We returned and loaded again to take our last hike up the southern hillside to say goodbye to Blessed and her family, Evez and her family and all the other children we had met along the way. After all, we still had an entire suitcase of goodies to distribute!
After a pasta lunch, we went back into town in a local’s car to collect the prints – we were the only 2 white people in a car that already had 6 adults and two children in it (I think!)  we certainly had 4 adults and a child in the front, and I admit I lost count of how many were crammed in the back!
Photo’s in hand a rucksack filled to the brim with pens and crayons etc., we took a boda boda past the lodge and straight to Winnie’s house on the Itojo trading park. She was overjoyed, as was her very proud and beaming father who proceeded to show the dictionary to every passing adult!
Winnie’s parents shop sold small terracotta coal stoves that I knew would be a perfect gift for Ant when we got to the campsite, so once I had given away everything in my rucksack I was able to squeeze the delicate mud pot inside. If I get it home in once piece it will be a minor miracle.
We took our final boda boda back to the lodge about 615pm, a peaceful and sad ride but both of us still had huge grins on our faces and the wind in our hair. Such a beautiful corner of the world, and one which has taught us an immense amount.
We washed, ate, packed, and tried a Rolex made by Boaz on his own charcoal stove before climbing under our nets for our last night of sleep in Ruhanga.