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For three weeks in July and July, the fate of 12 boys and their football coach made Tham Luang caves in Thailand the most discussed subject in the world.
Five months later, the place is among the most visited in the north of Thailand
In July, an operation of pumping water from the cave caused the inundation Fields of orchards and vegetables in the neighboring fields
One of the areas was used by Archawin Mopoaku for the planting pineapple member of the Akha ethnic group, one of the three who live in this mountainous region. But he did not complain. Instead, he abandoned farming for a while and proposed cutting bamboos to facilitate the entry of soldiers into the cave.
Today, Archawin 's pineapple fields remain intact. And next to them, on the dirt road leading to the caves, he sells tourists oranges from his orchard – an activity that brought him much more money than he earned with pineapple.
The same goes for flower vendors who approach customers. at the beginning of the road, street vendors selling pork and especially lottery ticket sellers.
Domestic Tourism
A ranger sits on a plastic chair under the canopy, recording in a notebook the number of visitors. It was easy before. It was usually between 10 and 20 a day.
"Today, no other tourist attraction in the region can compete with Tham Luang," he said. "There are now more than 6,000
Most are Thais, come from all over the country to see where the ransom has taken place." Damron Puttan, a businessman and TV star at a visit to the region
"I had never heard of these caves before the rescue," said Vanisa Achakulvisut, who was in Europe when the boys were trapped and was impressed by the l? attention brought to the case on the mainland. "But after the announcement of the Wild Boars football team, I had to see it for myself."
This n '# 39; is not just the curiosity that draws the crowds.The mountain range above the caves has been named in honor of Nang No, a mythical princess who has committed suicide after a love story It is said that the mountain resembles the image of the sleeping princess.
The caves are considered great mystic power in Thailand. A long time ago there is an altar in Nang No near the entrance to the cave, where people can leave offerings to his mind.
Every visitor I saw in this area wore flowers and made a brief prayer at the altar. The place has become a selling point for lottery tickets and the most popular numbers end with 13, the number of people saved from the cave.
There is now another sanctuary on the site: a 3 meter bronze statue of Saman Gunan, the autonomous diver
Work is placed in front of a new museum still empty, erected on the formerly muddy parking lot where the news of the rescue was transmitted.
Reunion
The boys and girls Ekkapol Chantawong, who helped them withstand the 17-day wait for them to meditate, was also present during their second visit to the cave since the rescue.
Some of the rescuers were also present, such as the Finnish Mikko Paasi, the American Josh Morris – who has a rock climbing school in Chiang Mai and served as an intermediary between foreign divers and fishermen. Thai government agents – and Vern Unsworth, the British cave explorer who has known Tham Luang for several years and was one of the first to arrive at the scene after the disappearance of the boys.
It was a moving meeting. The boys, who looked healthy and happy, kissed their saviors.
The Thai government still treats them with great zeal. They are badisted by social workers who accompany them in all public appearances and any request for interview of the group is badyzed rigorously by two committees.
Their families were also instructed not to speak to the press without permission. ] "A miracle and a lot"
"For me, it's still very exciting," said Britain's Vern Unsworth, looking at the new grid that denied access to the cave. "Some people think that saving 13 out of 13 was such a miracle."
"I think the world was expecting a bad result, but we never gave in. What the divers did was an incredible resistance test." said that no one should blame the boys and the coach for entering the cave – and that they just had bad luck. "It could have been me." Vern had planned to visit the caves the next day. The water rose very quickly after heavy and unusual rains, stopping the boys and the technician and forcing them to seek refuge in the cave.
Has the experience changed their lives? "They make an impressive group," Vern says. "They kept their feet on the ground and they were very well taken care of.They would not say that they have a normal life.They go around the world, but they are back in school . "
Nopparat Kanthawong, states that they train intensely after school, as before the rescue. They regained their lost weight even though they are still rebuilding their muscle strength. There are many groups interested in helping them. We saw the young people being trained by a Manchester City team in their mountain field.
There are at least three rescue films produced. The recording of the first, called The Cave, has just completed. Vern and other divers hope that the caves and the museum will be used to educate the public on local geology, flora and fauna.
For Mae Sai District Chief, Somsak Kanakham, Additional Resources and Opportunities
But he is concerned about maintaining the flow and states that the region needs infrastructure investments to receive this wave of visitors.
He hopes to receive long-term. indications on how to develop other potential tourist attractions in this green and hilly area. At some point, all the excitement generated by this extraordinary rescue will begin to diminish, perhaps also to reduce the number of visitors.
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