Luck is something that can come when you least expect it. For one poor fisherman in Thailand, it came in the form of lumps of rocks he found on a beach.
Little did he know that the rocks were actually whale vomit that can go for a whopping $3.2 million (RM12.94 million).
As according to The India Times, 60-year-old Naris Suwannasang was struggling to make a living when he found 220-pounds (99.79kgs) of Ambergris, also known as whale vomit which is an essential ingredient in some of the world’s most luxurious and expensive perfumes, such as Chanel No.5.
He had stumbled upon the pale rock-like clumps that washed up on the beach while he was walking by the ocean in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
With the help of his cousins, he took the clumps home to examine them before realising that they resembled ambergris, a rare secretion from whales that helps perfume scents to last longer.
They tested the ambergris by burning it with a lighter, which caused it to melt instantly and gave off a musky smell, confirming their theory.
“The businessman told me that he will come to check the quality of the ambergris later and the price shocked me. I could receive around 960,000THB (RM130,038.89) per kilogram if the ambergris I found is of the best grade,” Naris shared.
He even intends to go to the police station to make a record of his discovery, in case it were to ever get stolen.
“I also plan to go to the police and have them record my discovery as I fear that it might be stolen from my house.”
Producers of luxury perfumes extract an odourless alcohol called ambrein from ambergris to make their scents last longer. Ambergris comes from sperm whales, which eat large volumes of cephalopods such as squid, octopus and cuttlefish.
We’re happy that Naris’s luck has changed for the better and we hope that no one ends up cheating him out of a legitimate deal.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comment section.
Also read: Indonesian Man Reveals He Only Sold Meteorite For RM57,660, Feels He’s Been Cheated By Buyer
