The New York Times
Gao Zhibin and his daughter left Beijing on Feb. 24 for a better life, a safer one. Over the next 35 days, by airplane, train, boat, bus and foot, they traveled through nine countries. By the time they touched U.S. soil in late March, Gao had lost 30 pounds. The most harrowing part of their journey was trekking through the brutal jungle in Panama known as the Darién Gap. On the first day, said Gao, 39, he had sunstroke. The second day, his feet swelled. Dehydrated and weakened, he threw away his