Best and worst of the week (Oct 7)

Is it Friday already? When did that happen? Welcome to the end of the week and best & worst, which I’m taking over today to tell you all about my highlights and lowlights of the week.

I spent the first half of this week on a trip around Broome & the Kimberley (more details to come on that later, bookmark our Travel section!) and that was absolutely my best. After I got over the fact that I was going to have no phone reception and minimal internet reception for nearly a week, I managed to kick back and really enjoy myself. It’s nice when the only decisions you have to make are whether to have barramundi or beef for dinner.

I went kayaking, visited a pearl farm, walked waist-deep through a dark cave infested with crocodiles, and – my favourite – went mud-crabbing. Armed with only an oversized metal stick, I went climbing through mangroves and reaching into muddy puddles to find mud crabs. I actually managed to pull one out and dropped it and ran away when I saw it wasn’t the size of my hand, like I was expecting (there’s the city girl coming out in me). It was more the size of my head. Terrifying. But fun.

Worst – On my way home, I checked in at Broome airport and carried on through security. Just as I got through to the souvenir shop, my name was called over the loudspeaker to come back to the check-in desk. I got to the desk and the Qantas lady looked me up and down and said “Natalia. Your suitcase is vibrating.”

She motioned for me to feel it, and sure enough, my little suitcase was sitting on the floor vibrating merrily. I looked at my phone in my hand, then at her with wide eyes and said “What is it?!” She said, “I don’t know. You packed it.”

I was more terrified of it being some kind of animal (I did not enjoy the stray snakes and frogs all over the Kimberley) than some kind of bomb, but as the lady looked over at me and said “If it’s something that’s battery operated, just take the batteries out,” I realised that she thought it was some kind of sex toy. I was mortified. And when I found the electric shaver that had accidentally turned on in my bag, I was so relieved I wanted to pull it out and wave at everyone standing in the check-in line staring at me and say “Look everyone! It’s not a vibrator!”

Anyhow. I didn’t get arrested and made it home with minimal further embarrassment.

Over to you – what were your best and worst moments of the week?