Rescued Miners Are Showered With Gifts and Trips After Emerging from Underground

Oct. 14, 2010 — -- From iPods to all-expenses paid vacations, the rescued Chilean miners are enjoying the good life for the first time in weeks.

Upon emerging from the underground vault where they were stuck for 69 days, the miners have been showered with gifts from around the world.

Employees of the Greek mining company Elmin are raising money to fund a trip for the Chilean miners to the Greek islands, which will be quite a change for men who haven't seen sunshine for more than two months.

"Our miners who are underground for us support the [Chileans]," Elmin CEO Lyberis Polychronopoulos told ABC News.

The Chileans can have their choice of islands they'd like to visit, said Polychronopoulos, and the tab will be picked up by the miners' fundraising and the company.

In the U.S., electronic giant Apple has sent a new iPod Touch, the portable media player, to each of the miners.

Elvis Presley Enterprises has extended an invitation to Edison Pena to come to Graceland on them. Pena is a Elvis fanatic who had listened to music by the King of Rock to pass the time.

"This was a terrible tragedy and we discreetly sent over a few items in mid-September once we learned Mr. Pena was an Elvis fan," said Kevin Kern, the director of public information at Elvis Presley Enterprises. "Elvis was always generous with his fans and thankful, and part of our mission is to continue his good work and legacy. It seemed fitting to help this fan in need by doing what we could to help him pass the time."

Kern said that DVDs, CDs, and even souvenir Elvis sunglasses were sent to Chile, and then down the mineshaft, to Pena.

"Now that this has ended happily, we thought it would be fitting to offer Mr. Pena and a family member a trip to Memphis to visit Graceland where he will be treated like a rock star," said Kern.

Delta Airlines has offered to pay for Pena's flight and his hotel room and meals will also be provided for him.

"We look forward to welcoming Edison to Memphis, the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll and all things Elvis when he feels up to the trip," said Kern. "Elvis fans are everywhere, and we all now know who is the biggest fan in Chile."

Miners Greeted With Gifts From Around the World

There are goodies for the non-music loving miners, too.

A Chilean philanthropist Leonardo Farkas reportedly wrote $10,000 checks to each of the miners, money that the men may not have made in a year, according to The Associated Press.

Many of the 33 are big soccer fans and are likely delighted that famed British soccer player Sir Bobby Charlton, who comes from a family of miners, has invited all of the miners to attend a Manchester United soccer game at Old Trafford as soon as they have "medical clearance," according to a spokesman.

"A trip to the training ground to meet the players would definitely be in there, along with a game," said spokesman Philip Townsend.

Miner Franklin Lobos, the 27th miner to be rescued, was a professional soccer player before making his career underground, and was greeted Tuesday by a soccer ball from the Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. Lobos clutched the gift as he was wheeled into the medical facility for treatment.

Local reports say that a game will be organized later this month between the rescuers and the miners, with Lobos as the captain for the miners' team.

"This was the toughest match of my life," Lobos reportedly said when he came out of the rescue capsule.