By Rolly Ng

A Return Worth More Than You Paid

It was a fine Saturday afternoon. She thought to herself, how can she make use of this one-week holiday? She recalled one of the most important lessons she learnt from university is that value does not always equal to the amount on the price tag, it can be in the form of time, knowledge, connections. She made her mind up to travel a bit, going on National Rail to check if there are cheap tickets to Rye. Why Rye? Apparently, someone told her there is a place called Mermaid Street that brings visitors back in time. She found an advance ticket in good price, invited two friends to join. Got an aye and a nay.

The next day, she told her parents about it. ‘You’ve been there before.’ Said her mother. ‘Really? I don’t remember. When I was like this?’ She marked the height of a ten-year-old with her hand. ‘No, just a few years ago.’ Pictures with ‘Rye Harbour’ was sent right after the chat. Back then, they were on their way to Canterbury. They stopped at Rye Harbour for a leg stretch plus a photo, and then left.

Like what she usually does before trips, she did some research on Rye. The top things to do in Rye was noted, including places to eat, in case an advance booking is necessary.

The night before, she made two sandwiches for herself and her friend. She knew she would spend money on an afternoon tea, cake or scone. It will be a good idea not to spend too much on lunch on this occasion.

Camera battery charged

Phone charged

Kindle in bag

Water bottle full

Sandwiches packed

She met her friend on the platform. On the train, they talked about the school and how excited they were for this day trip.

Upon arrival, they went into a coffee shop for lunch and a hot drink, it was a sunny but cold day. Her friend mentioned how it feels that the pace is much slower than that in London.

A charity shop caught her friend’s eyes, she believes they should tick off the must-go places and visit charity shops if time permits. After all, there is no shortage of charity shops in London. Her friend insisted, and in she went. At the cashier, she asked the staff to recommend places to go, they suggested a few places along with the directions.  ‘That was helpful and friendly.’ They thought.