#OddlyEnough: Thais Looking For A Little Bit Of Luck

Dead Tree Trunk Proves Lucky

Superstition and looking for luck are a part of daily life in Thailand, says a report. In one temple in central Bangkok, visitors hope to find it hidden in the bark of an ancient tree, says the Reuters report.

Hundreds flock to the Kunnatri Ruttharam temple every week to pay respects to the enormous dead tree trunk, which is draped in flowers and offerings from worshippers who believe rubbing its bark can reveal winning lottery numbers.

The state-run lottery business is booming in the kingdom, with ticket vendors on almost every street corner and buyers poring over numerology charts to pick the luckiest sequence.

One lucky worshipper believes he won 70,000 baht ($2,122.50) thanks to the tree and said it has brought him luck before.“I have won minor prizes before from this tree, I think when I am in tough spots the tree helps me,” Pakapon Chummano, 54, said.

People have a variety of techniques for finding lucky lottery numbers, including visiting spirit mediums, praying to holy relics, or dropping candle wax on water at temples or other holy sites.

Olive Oil Goof Up In Portugal

A man thought he was extra smart when he tried to get olive oil into Portugal, says a report

Who would bring a suitcase full of olive oil to Portugal, one of the world’s biggest producers of the stuff?

Police at Lisbon airport were already suspicious of one passenger before they discovered 24 bottles of extra virgin olive oil marked as Argentinean-made in his luggage, says the Reuters report.

“We had information that the man could be a trafficker, so he was stopped for checks, but the fact that he was coming to Portugal with a bunch of olive oil definitely reinforced our suspicions, which proved to be right,” a police official said.

The oil was found to be mixed with cocaine.

Darts Championship Turns Into A Smelly Affair

A top darts tournament turned into a smelly affair for its participants, says a report.

Players set more than just their arrows flying at the Grand Slam of Darts, with opponents rowing over who had emitted noxious smells during their match, media reported, according to Reuters.

Twice world champion Scotsman Gary Anderson, 47, won the match 10-2 to reach the quarter-finals but his Dutch opponent Wesley Harms, 34, said he was affected by the “fragrant smell” Anderson had left as they played.

“It’ll take me two nights to lose this smell from my nose,” Harms told Dutch television station RTL7L. However, world number 4 Anderson said the smell had come “from the table side” at the Aldersley Leisure Village venue, in the English Midlands town of Wolverhampton, suggesting it was from the crowd.

“If the boy thinks I’ve farted he’s 1,010 per cent wrong. I had a bad stomach once on stage before and admitted it. So I’m not going to lie about farting on stage,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“Every time I walked past there was a waft of rotten eggs so that’s why I was thinking it was him. It was bad. It was a stink, then he started to play better and I thought he must have needed to get some wind out.

“If somebody has done that they need to see a doctor. Seemingly he says it was me but I would admit it.”

Trooper Bitten By Wayward Dog

An unruly dog bit his rescuer in the hand on a freeway in the US, says a report.

The German shepherd snarled at traffic as it loped on and off two Phoenix freeways during the morning’s commute before it was captured by a state trooper who was bit on the hand while grabbing its collar, according to an AP report.

The trooper is going to be fine, and the wayward dog was being evaluated at an animal shelter after suffering paw injuries “from running so much,” authorities said.

Camel Stranded On Snowy Roadway

The surprisingly powerful winter storm that swept across Pennsylvania brought some surprising sights with it, including a camel stranded along a snowy roadway, says a report.

Motorists traveling about 64 km north of Philadelphia started tweeting about the camel and posted video on social media, says an AP report.

An organisation called Jewish Philly says it was their camel named Einstein.

He was on his way to the group’s event at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center when the vehicle he was travelling in got stuck.

Jewish Philly later tweeted Einstein’s handler decided it was best for the camel to head home after his snow adventures, so he returned to Peaceable Kingdom Petting Zoo.

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